Wisdom, pessimism, and "mirth" - Reflections on the contribution of biblical wisdom literature to business ethics

Ancient Israel's wisdom literature dealt explicitly with moral education. Applying this literature to modern challenges of business ethics requires reading the texts in the light of existential structures that bond the ancient with the modern world. Such structures could include the temporal categories of present and future along with the challenging angst of managing the future. By providing conflicting positions the ancient wisdom literature provides an attitude of heart for the modern person, especially the modem business person, whose all-absorbing attention to the future may well be based on an underlying existential situation behind much unethical behavior in modern business.