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A mobster responsible for over 87 deaths, and the trafficking of hundreds of ‘sex slaves’ gives £100,000 to Cancer Research. Is he a good man?

A woman takes part in a 4 week conservation project in a poorer country just so that she can say she’s ‘seen poverty’, and so she can upload photos to Facebook and look interesting. Is she a good woman?

A doctor who gets a kick out of prescribing harmful medication to some patients, but still cures the vast majority of them. Is he a good doctor?

As Aristotle said, ‘one swallow does not make a Summer’.

One good act does not make a good man.

One good act does not make a ‘good’ or ‘green’ or ‘socially responsible’ company.

His famous moral philosophy emphasized that a good act is not good, unless it comes from a ‘fixed disposition’.

This ‘fixed disposition’ is like the force, the true motivation, the underlying principles, the real, true meaning, behind your act.

If your ‘good’ act comes from selfish reasons, or is ‘out of character’, then it’s not representative of a good person, or a good company.

To be a good person or company, all of your acts, all of your principles, all of your motivations and all of your ‘ethics’ must align.

Everything you do must add up to a coherent whole.

The way you treat your customers.

The way you treat your employees.

How and where you spend your money.

The projects you take on.

The advice you dish out.

The information on your promo. material.

How you make your sales.

The way you treat your family and friends

The way you think and feel about all of the above.

Because if not- if some spheres of your life are swamped in philanthropy and helping others, yet another sphere is riddled with resentment of where your money, or your efforts go, and how you’re not making as much as your peers, can you really call yourself ‘good’?