Hodgkinson on Ethics and the Philosophy of Administration

Abstract

This article offers a systematic critical response to the values-oriented, non-positivist conception of administration and philosophy of administration recently advanced by Christopher Hodgkinson. It argues that Hodgkinson 's theory of value is seriously flawed, and that his philosophy is, in key respects, much closer to the positivism espoused by H. A. Simon. This positivism is criticized and an alter-native, non-positivist basis for values in administrative theory is proposed.