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A Moral-Theological Critique of Business Ethics
van de Ven, Johannes
van de Ven, Johannes
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Abstract
Proposing a moral–theological critique of business ethics seems a rather pretentious – if not moralizing – claim. At first sight, a lack of understanding and communication characterizes the relationship between theology and economics, between church officials and business people. This dissertation is primarily an effort to understand how the large issues of business and ethics – and business ethics and moral theology – are, or ought to be, interconnected. What has been missing so far in the business ethics debate is a serious engagement or dialogue between the depth of Christian social teachings and the contemporary challenges posed by corporations. At the outset, the philosophical foundations of what is regarded as the dominant academic view in the contemporary business ethics debate are examined. The assumptions of Adam Smith, Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman will be examined on their wide–ranging social, economic and political ramifications. At the heart of this paper, I will systematically examine the social magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. A special emphasis will be placed on the pertinent social encyclicals and Compendium of the Social Doctrine for being chief custodians of Christian ethics. Next, I will examine two contextual theological perspectives of business ethics. The two contextual theologies are Latin American liberation theology and North American neocon theology. It is my working hypothesis that moral theology and business ethics should be publicly argued in order to remain vibrant, alive and accessible.
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2008-03-23
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With permission of the license/copyright holder