Ethics in Classical Greek Commercial Activity

My research aims to investigate the evidence for shared ideas of ethics applying specifically to commercial activity in Classical Greece – both in theory and in practice. Ethics in commerce relates both to how, among others, customers, suppliers, workforce, lenders and business partners should be treated, and also to what broader moral obligations and commitments business activity should have towards the community. One methodological question that I will be addressing is whether commercial ethics existed for the Greeks as a discrete category of thought or practice. Is it meaningful to speak of classical Greek attitudes to commercial ethics? This question can be viewed against a background of broader debates about the sophistication of economic thinking in the ancient world. The question of ethics does not require these debates to be resolved. Nonetheless, detailed research may provide some clarity about the underlying realities. My research will sketch out the range of ethical relationships encompassed by the field of Greek commerce, as well as indicating some of the ethical principles at play in conducting economic transactions. Examples will be drawn from, among other writers, Xenophon, Aristophanes, Aristotle and Lysias. It may be that as the research progresses some aspects could become relevant to contemporary discussions in the field.