Loyola ethics scholar hosts provocative conference on ethics and spirituality
According to Nicholas Capaldi, the Legendre-Soule Professor in Business Ethics, "The way to create a better business society lies in enabling business leaders to see that it is indeed possible to be both successful and morally conscious." Capaldi believes this must begin on the college level where ethics can be taught alongside business practices. He began the Institute for Ethics and Spirituality in Business to establish a partnership with business leaders to help resolve their moral and ethical issues, and to show students how this can work.
"In recent decades, the grounding for ethics in commerce has slowly lost its spiritual roots," Capaldi says. He stresses that the country needs a regrounding of its moral roots which will require a sophisticated relationship with business ethics.
The institute hosted its first conference in June, titled "The Ethics of Commerce: An Inquiry into the Religious Roots and Spiritual Context of Ethical Business Practice." The event brought together more than 40 speakers and presenters who discussed the decline of spirituality in business that has led to poor business ethics. The speakers included scholars and CEOs from a variety of institutions and religious backgrounds. During a series of panels, these business leaders discussed how they dealt with ethical issues in their professional lives. The questions that were addressed included: To what extent does current business practice reflect a spiritual dimension? Does a substantive business ethic require a religious and spiritual framework? Is there a role for religion and spirituality in a global and post-modern business world?
Select papers from the conference will be published in an anthology edited by Capaldi, under the title Business and Religion: A Clash of Civilizations. The anticipated publication date is spring 2005. The Loyola Institute for Ethics and Spirituality in Business has become a regional center for initiating dialogue between business and religious leaders. Capaldi hopes the ideas and perspectives presented at the conference will continue in an ongoing dialogue, and he plans to make the conference an annual event.
—Elizabet Travis, A'05 Intern in the Offices of Public Affairs and Publications
