ABSTRACT
In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle reminds us that we learn about morality not only in treatises but also, and perhaps above all, by observing and imitating the virtue of others and particularly that of powerful individuals whom we refer to as leaders (Aristotle 382–322 bce; see 1999). In contemporary society, what better medium than the cinema to depict the vices and virtues of the powerful? An archetypal film on leadership and business ethics, The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese 2013), offers a case study of ethics and leadership in the context of business. Situated in the hurly burly of Wall Street in 1980s America, the film tells the story of the rise, fall, and redemption of a young stockbroker, Jordan Belfort. The story of power, business, and ethics may serve as motif for an exploration of the complexities of business leadership and its ethical (or non-ethical) dimensions.
