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Death and organization: Heidegger's thought on death and life in organizations

Reedy, Patrick; Learmonth, Mark

Authors

Patrick Reedy

Mark Learmonth



Abstract

Mortality has not been given the attention it deserves within organization studies. Even when it has been considered, it is not usually in terms of its implications for own lives and ethical choices. In particular, Heidegger's writing on death has been almost entirely ignored both in writing on death and writing on organizational ethics, despite his insights into how our mortality and the ethics of existence are linked. In this paper, we seek to address this omission by arguing that a consideration of death may yield important insights about the ethics of organizational life. Most important of these is that a Heideggerian approach to death brings us up against fundamental ethical questions such as what our lives are for, how they should be lived and how we relate to others. Heideggerarian thought also reconnects ethics and politics, as it is closely concerned with how we can collectively make institutions that support our life projects rather than thwart or diminish them. © The Author(s) 2011.

Citation

Reedy, P., & Learmonth, M. (2011). Death and organization: Heidegger's thought on death and life in organizations. Organization Studies, 32(1), 117-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840610387242

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 1, 2011
Online Publication Date Feb 17, 2011
Publication Date Jan 1, 2011
Deposit Date Nov 13, 2014
Journal Organization Studies
Print ISSN 0170-8406
Electronic ISSN 1741-3044
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 32
Issue 1
Pages 117-131
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840610387242
Keywords Heidegger, Martin, 1889-1976, death, ethics, choice, organization,
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/465724