Business decisions are not just based on abstract theories or models. They reflect a world view of how a company operates and the philosophy of management that it follows. Even denying any connection between management and values is a philosophical statement in itself.

Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño, President of the prestigious IE Business School, looks to the greatest female philosophers from modern history to help us bring purpose and meaning back into the workplace and management education. He shows how their pioneering work can be applied in specific situations, from Iris Murdoch's emphasis on compassion to Hannah Arendt's work on making the world more human, each philosopher can, in a very practical way, help inform your own approach to work and life.

Packed with examples, personal stories and anecdotes from some of the world's most influential companies and women in business, this book examines how the contributions from female philosophers stand up in the real world, helping to drive inclusion, diversity and ultimately, innovation.

1;Acknowledgements;7 2;How to Read This Book;9 3;Contents;10 4;1 Why Female Philosophers Matter to Management: Randi Zuckerberg;15 4.1;An Unforgivable Absence;15 4.2;Why Female Philosophers Have a Contribution to Make to Management;17 4.3;Why Should Managers Philosophize?;20 4.4;Insights from a Committed Entrepreneur and Mom: Randi Zuckerberg;22 5;2 Balance: Patricia Churchland/Belinda Holdsworth;33 5.1;What Distinguishes Humans from Robots?;33 5.2;The North Pole of Philosophy;36 5.3;Mind and Body;37 5.4;The Brain Is Our Center of Operations;40 5.5;Could Psychopharmacology Generate More Talent and Make Better Companies?;41 5.6;Takeaways;44 6;3 Courage: Ayn Rand/Jiang Qiong Er;47 6.1;Ying and Yang, Tradition and Modernity: Jiang Qiong Er;47 6.2;Ayn Rand, a Conservative Thinker?;51 6.3;Creators as Leaders;55 6.4;Leaders and Administrators;58 6.5;Takeaways;59 7;4 Virtue: Philippa Foot/Angelica Kohlmann;61 7.1;Science, Business and Cosmopolitanism: Angelica Kohlmann;61 7.2;Philippa Foot, Oxford and Analytical Philosophy;64 7.3;The Meaning and Relevance of Virtue;67 7.4;The Trolley Problem and the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence;69 7.5;Takeaways;73 8;5 Love: Iris Murdoch/María Benjumea;75 8.1;Passion Enlightens a Professional Life: María Benjumea;75 8.2;Generalists and Specialists: The Case of Iris Murdoch;80 8.3;Compassion, Love and Leadership;81 8.4;Exercising Compassion to Enhance Leadership;84 8.5;Takeaways;85 9;6 Authenticity: Elizabeth Anscombe/Catherine Moukheibir;88 9.1;A Tale of Three Continents: Catherine Moukheibir;88 9.1.1;A Thinker Who Stuck to Her Principles: Elizabeth Anscombe;93 9.2;Speaking Out: When CEOs Have to Stand up for Their Principles;95 9.3;Consequentialism and Absolutism: The Business Case and the Moral Case;97 9.4;Takeaways;100 10;7 Humanity: Martha Nussbaum/Olga Urbani;103 10.1;A Company Rooted in the Humanities: Urbani Tartufi;103 10.2;The Measuring Malaise and Its Critics: Martha Nussbaum;106 10.3;Why Studying the Humanities Makes More Sense Than Ever;109 10.4;Management Has Been Ascribed to the Social Sciences...;112 10.5;...And Management Belongs to the Humanities;114 10.6;Takeaways;115 11;8 Fortitude: Hannah Arendt/Maria Tereza Leme Fleury;118 11.1;Fair, Fearless, Forerunner: Tereza Fleury;118 11.1.1;A Critical Thinker During Critical Times: Hannah Arendt;121 11.2;The Banality of Evil;123 11.3;Critical Thinking, a Major Source of Innovation at Companies;126 11.4;Takeaways;128 12;9 Passion: Simone Weil/Michelle Raymond;131 12.1;Per aspera ad astra: Michelle Raymond;131 12.2;Authenticity as Practicing What You Preach: Simone Weil;135 12.3;Work: Alienation or Liberation?;138 12.4;Will Education Become Fully Automatized?;140 12.5;Takeaways;141 13;10 Ethics: Adela Cortina/Inés Temple;144 13.1;Reflecting on the Enterprise of One's Life: Inés Temple;144 13.2;Making the Connection Between Business and Ethics: Adela Cortina;148 13.3;Business Ethics: An Oxymoron?;150 13.4;The Rise of Corporate Social Responsibility;152 13.5;Fear of the Poor;155 13.6;Takeaways;157 14;11 Vision: Simone de Beauvoir/Usha Prashar;159 14.1;An Agent of Change: Baroness Usha Prashar;159 14.2;Simone de Beauvoir: The Beginnings of Feminist Philosophy;164 14.3;Engagement and Speaking Out;169 14.4;Do We Grow Old, or Start a Second Life?;170 14.5;Takeaways;173 15;12 Resolve: African Challenges/Ifeoma Idigbe;175 15.1;Women Hold the Keys to Africa's Future;175 15.2;Challenging Nigeria's Traditional Gender Roles: Ifeoma Idigbe;177 16;Index;181