How, if at all, can philosophy contribute to business consulting? This chapter addresses that question through a case study in the (re)insurance industry. It applies Levels-of-Abstraction Reconceptualisation (LoAR), a pluralist philosophical method that analyses a problem across multiple levels of abstraction and reconstructs it to generate ethically grounded and practically viable solutions. Drawing on insights from global justice and development ethics, LoAR reframed the client’s innovation ch…
Read moreHow, if at all, can philosophy contribute to business consulting? This chapter addresses that question through a case study in the (re)insurance industry. It applies Levels-of-Abstraction Reconceptualisation (LoAR), a pluralist philosophical method that analyses a problem across multiple levels of abstraction and reconstructs it to generate ethically grounded and practically viable solutions. Drawing on insights from global justice and development ethics, LoAR reframed the client’s innovation challenge and yielded Pi, a pilot-ready, machine-learning-enabled parametric insurance venture that enhances farmer agency and responds to structural inequalities in risk protection as they manifest in the Global South. While the theoretical foundations of LoAR are not developed in full here, its practical application provides guidance for philosopher-consultants seeking to employ the method. The chapter concludes by outlining the distinctive value of philosophy in consulting more broadly.
