Business of Collecting and Kames’s Moral Concepts

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The business environment, as a dynamic and constantly changing sector, is divided into numerous areas and spheres of interest in which distinctive entrepreneurial principles and approaches are promoted to accumulate profit. At the same time, despite high competition and struggle for market positions, certain areas of business are based not on creating unique goods and services but, conversely, on the sale of old things of historical value. Such a business of collecting is an individual field with its own rules, development standards, and methods of attracting the target audience. This activity is nuanced and involves the sympathetic principle that Home and Kames¹ described as the mechanism of the transmission of “the joy and sorrow of one to many.” Crow² notes that today, few people can buy expensive antiques and luxury items, which, nevertheless, does not prevent individual patrons and wealthy art lovers from investing in the acquisition of art treasures. As a result, the business of collecting is an individual market niche in which unique rules and gradations exist, and the facilitating principle is associated with promising investments in art.

In the face of competitive geopolitical struggles, some aspects of entrepreneurship transcend social conflicts and focus on aspects of morality. Home and Kames³ analyze the principles of duty and obligation from the perspective of the appropriateness of individual decisions and actions aimed to conform to generally accepted moral values. An example of such an activity from the facilitating business is the creation of a fiber-optic Internet network in the Middle East, which, as Jones⁴ notes, Google initiated. According to Home and Kames,⁵ “sympathy is a principle implanted in the breast of every man.” This means that, despite social and political controversies, promoting a moral image is a crucial condition for maintaining civilization in a complex hierarchy and global competition. Fitch⁶ notes that many modern business developments aim to address and facilitate different needs, for instance, the use of 5G networks for military objectives. Investing in sports, according to Diamond, Robinson, and Gottfried,⁷ is another example of the business of collecting, which can be compared to the principle of corporate social responsibility obligation. Therefore, the aspects of moral duty are the elements of the business of collecting and facilitating.

Since the business of collecting is often not only entrepreneurial but also patronage, the concept of nobility is one of the markers and prerequisites for successful work in this field. Home and Kames⁸ refer to “universal equal benevolence” as a principle that, despite many controversies, is designed to bring people closer together. In some cases, countries and communities have to rally against a common threat, as Phillips⁹ notes, and this ability to unite is reflected in the business of collecting as well. Such a type of entrepreneurship is an ethical incentive to pay attention to eternal values and escape from the routine and oppressive realities that inevitably arise in the hierarchical system of social development.

The business of collecting, as an individual field of entrepreneurship, differs from many other market niches in that the objects of purchase and sale are not a prerequisite for human existence. According to Home and Kames¹⁰, property is generally associated with daily necessities, which include food, housing, and other needs that people cannot live without to feel secure. Nevertheless, as numerous examples show, things that are not of practical importance can be no less in demand among individuals, which forms the general principle of collecting. Alpert,¹¹ representing the public hype around the most expensive guitar, and Ramey,¹² describing the story of the mysteriously stolen violin, agree that high prices for these antiques are the result of interest in them. Home and Kames¹³ state that “the hoarding appetite is an instinct obviously contrived for assisting reason, in moving us to provide against want.” As a result, the interest in the possession of the aforementioned relics is a natural human property, which, nevertheless, not many can realize due to the established restraints, mainly financial ones.

The concept of property, which, in many respects, shapes modern commodity-money relations, has undergone changes during the development of the business sphere. As Home and Kames¹⁴ remark, a person seeking to possess resources attaches great importance to the essence of possession, which, nevertheless, is not always fair. Kotkin¹⁵ draws attention to the modern oligarchic principles of the market when a few large participants own the largest part of the capital. The market, due to its flexibility, reacts to any change, and Maltais’s¹⁶ example of rising prices for cocoa products proves this. Equity, as part of an equal society, can be challenged when stories like the ones of Cohen¹⁷ and Marson¹⁸ prove that cunning and deceit are inherent attributes of dishonest business. The business of collecting, however, is an industry in which the concepts of right and wrong fade into the background, giving way to aesthetics and freeing from responsibility. Home and Kames¹⁹ argue that “the sense of injustice is one of the strongest that belongs to humanity.” Therefore, entrepreneurship in the art environment, when one person owns valuable relics, can be compared with a desire for possessiveness rather than injustice.

The business of collecting based on the acquisition and sale of valuable objects of art and cultural heritage does not contradict the ideas of universal benevolence. Since this entrepreneurial activity is closely associated with the pursuit of beauty, its background implies emotional attachment described by Schiffer²⁰ as a desire for goods and services that inspire with little practical value. According to Home and Kames,²¹ natural laws suggest that “the system of universal benevolence attracts the generous and warm-hearted.” In other words, a materially oriented person is hardly capable of being inspired by abstract virtues and goods that are not intended to improve well-being. Lloyd²² argues that the responsibility that comes with fame can lead one astray and create false beliefs about personal uniqueness and irreplaceability. Nevertheless, an attempt to provide oneself with the most comfortable living conditions can be interpreted from the position of self-preservation, which Home and Kames²³ call natural. Community responsibility grows and, as Blunt and Brickley²⁴ note, contributes to creating businesses devoted to facilitating but not accumulating. Thus, collecting can be viewed through the prism of responsibility to society for the undertaken obligations to protect cultural heritage.

Regarding morality, striving for beauty is a natural process that does not contradict the principles of achieving spiritual well-being. At the same time, Home and Kames²⁵ state that “the moral sense also, though rooted in the nature of man, admits of great refinements by culture and education.” This means that progress in the entrepreneurial environment is an integral component of development. In her article, Koren²⁶ draws attention to innovation in the space industry and notes that the business of facilitating complemented by modern developments stimulates the growth of scientific potential. Home and Kames²⁷ affirm the dynamic nature of man, which is reflected in the constant striving for improvement and the reluctance to stand still. Along with the development of the space industry, corresponding changes take place in everyday life, for example, in the field of design where, as Chayka²⁸ remarks, the media influence is great and shapes various preferences. People have become more concerned with the values of preserving life, and Livni²⁹ notes an increased social trend of the ethical responsibility of people towards nature. Such reasoning allows correlating the business of collecting with a craving for beauty and virtues.

When summing up the reasoning about the morality of the business of collecting and facilitating, one should pay attention to specific implications that these forms of entrepreneurship carry. For instance, in their arguments for sympathy and generosity, Home and Kames³⁰ dispute Adam Smith’s idea that human feelings are available only to the performer of concrete actions. Craving for the high has become a trend in recent decades. Thus, the pursuit of patronage and charity proves many entrepreneurs’ interest in working in the field of art as an area where there is no place for immoral acts and suffering. Moreover, Home and Kames³¹ emphasize that “sympathy is but one of many principles that constitute us moral beings,” thereby refuting Adam Smith’s notions of sympathy as a weakness. Therefore, the business of collecting is an ethically grounded direction of entrepreneurship where much attention is paid to not only the aspects of property but also to moral values.

Bibliography

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Blunt, Catherine, and Peg Brickley. “PG&E Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Fires as It Nears Bankruptcy Exit.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Chayka, Kyle. “Welcome to Airspace: How Silicon Valley Helps Spread the Same Sterile Aesthetic Across the World.” The Verge. Web.

Cohen, Ben. “The Case of the NBA’s Most Stolen Play.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Crow, Kelly. “How Two Sanctioned Russian Billionaire Brothers Bought Art Anyway.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Diamond, Jared, Joshua Robinson, and Miriam Gottfried. “Billy Beane Set to Leave Baseball Behind in Fenway Sports Deal.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Fitch, Asa. “Pentagon Readies for Battle in a 5G Future.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Home, Henry, and Lord Kames. Essays on Principles of Morality and Natural Religion. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2005.

Jones, Rory. “Google Plots New Europe-Asia Path.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Koren, Marina. “Minimalism Goes to Space.” The Atlantic, Web.

Kotkin, Joel. “America Is Moving Toward an Oligarchical Socialism.” The Orange County Register, Web.

Livni, Ephrat. “There’s a Strong Ethical Case for Wearing Leather and Fur.” Quartz, Web.

Lloyd, Will. “Who’s Behind Marcus Rashford?” UnHerd, Web.

Maltais, Kirk. “Farmers, Buyers Tussle Over Cocoa Prices.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Marson, James. “First ‘Narco-Submarine’ Caught After Crossing the Atlantic.” Web.

Phillips, Michael M. “Russian Aggression Spurs Neighbors to Rebuild Defenses.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Ramey, Corinne. “‘Only 1 in Stock!’ The Mystery of a Stolen Stradivarius Takes a Twist.” The Wall Street Journal, Web.

Schiffer, Zoe. “Emotional Baggage.” The Verge, Web.

Footnotes

Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality and Natural Religion (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2005), 16.
Kelly Crow, “How Two Sanctioned Russian Billionaire Brothers Bought Art Anyway,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 33.
Rory Jones, “Google Plots New Europe-Asia Path,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 36.
Asa Fitch, “Pentagon Readies for Battle in a 5G Future,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Jared Diamond, Joshua Robinson, and Miriam Gottfried, “Billy Beane Set to Leave Baseball Behind in Fenway Sports Deal,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 43.
Michael M Phillips, “Russian Aggression Spurs Neighbors to Rebuild Defenses,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 47.
Lucas I Alpert, “How to Tell a Real 1959 Gibson Les Paul Guitar from a Fake: A Missing Notebook Holds the Key,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Corinne Ramey, “‘Only 1 in Stock!’ The Mystery of a Stolen Stradivarius Takes a Twist,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 48.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 50.
Joel Kotkin, “America Is Moving Toward an Oligarchical Socialism,” The Orange County Register, Web.
Kirk Maltais, “Farmers, Buyers Tussle Over Cocoa Prices,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Ben Cohen, “The Case of the NBA’s Most Stolen Play,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
James Marson, “First ‘Narco-Submarine’ Caught After Crossing the Atlantic,” Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 52.
Zoe Schiffer, “Emotional Baggage,” The Verge, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 56.
Will Lloyd, “Who’s Behind Marcus Rashford?” UnHerd, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 58.
atherine Blunt and Peg Brickley, “PG&E Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Fires as It Nears Bankruptcy Exit,” The Wall Street Journal, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 64.
Marina Koren, “Minimalism Goes to Space,” The Atlantic, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 65.
Kyle Chayka, “Welcome to Airspace: How Silicon Valley Helps Spread the Same Sterile Aesthetic Across the World,” The Verge. Web.
Ephrat Livni, “There’s a Strong Ethical Case for Wearing Leather and Fur,” Quartz, Web.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 71.
Henry Home and Lord Kames, Essays on Principles of Morality, 72.