Suchergebnisse

Presenting the economy as a place where human happiness is as paramount as profit, is a utopia. This truism is, however, confronted by the actual situation of our economy today. In this book, we find a plea for economic practices as elaborated in the Social Economy, the Purpose Economy, and the Economy of Communion.

Resumen: El autor sostiene que la búsqueda de nuevos modelos empresariales y de política económica nos invita a redescubrir la filosofía personalista de Maritain. En el núcleo de la obra Humanismo integral (1936) del filósofo francés aparece la idea de que el hombre es una persona "de naturaleza espiritual, dotada de libre albedrío, y por lo tanto autónoma en relación con el mundo". El artículo estudia la naturaleza del bien común temporal, que para Maritain se relaciona con la vida buena de la toda la comunidad –el bien común o bonum commune– tanto en el sentido material como moral. Este bonum commune no es el objetivo final del orden temporal, sino que está subordinado a lo que trasciende el bienestar temporal de la persona humana –la realización de la libertad y la perfección espiritual. En última instancia, el orden nunca se completa. El balance definitivo o telos nunca se obtiene ya que el hombre está siempre en camino. ; Abstract: The author argues that searching for new models for business functioning and economic policy invites us to rediscover the personalist philosophy of Jacques Maritain. At the core of Maritain's Humanisme Intégral (1936) is the idea that man is a person who is "spiritual in nature, endowed with free will, and thus autonomous in relation to the world". The paper studies temporal common good's inner nature, that according to Maritain concerns the good life of the entire community —the common good or bonum commune— both in the material and moral sense. This bonum commune is not the ultimate goal of the temporal order, but it is subordinate to what transcends temporal welfare of the human person—the attainment of freedom and spiritual perfection. In the end, this temporal order is never completed. The definitive balance or telos is never obtained because man is always on the path.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how one can prevent the flaws or dark sides of the globalisation process from leading to ever‐greater decay of responsibility. By decay of responsibility, is meant the threat that globalisation poses to what is referred to by philosophers such as David Harvey, John McMurtry and Paul Ricoeur, as the longing for being and solidarity with the other(s).Design/methodology/approachTo put a stop to the decay of responsibility, the urgency of a broader ethical dimension in globalisation is more apparent than ever before. The threat the globalisation process poses to the longing for being and solidarity with the other(s), increasingly necessitates an appropriate responsible global institution.FindingsOf central importance are the principles of merit and need as possible basis of a responsible institution. The intrinsic logic of the merit principle incorporated in the growth process of globalisation, induces a series of impermissible side effects. Therefore, the traditional correction of democracy giving priority to the principle of need instead of merit, no longer appears to counteract the market economy to be able to provide guarantees for a responsible globalisation process.Research limitations/implicationsPolitics needs to assure the survival of the social community, all the more so if its future is under considerable threat. The acceptance of responsibility implies also the care for the most fragile.Practical implicationsThe paper explains the need of an ethics of responsibility that transcends the excessive ego‐centric globalised society. Therefore, participatory or responsible justice is considered to be of the utmost importance. Participation should be broadly interpreted and include policy makers, environmentalists, scientists, economists, lawyers, ethicists, consumers, farmers and other representatives of civil society.Originality/valueThe present worldwide economic, social and ecological crises have created fertile ground for claiming the need for an internationally recognized charter setting out human responsibilities. The concept of a Charter of Human Responsibilities can be an original elaboration of the concern with institutionalising responsibility.

The centenary of E.F. Schumacher's birth (1911-1977) offered an urgent opportunity to revisit his work and life. Against the background of the crisis at the beginning of this century, reconsidering Schumacher's Small is Beautiful or frugality paradigm makes clear that advances in responsible economics continue to be a priority. This book contains the proceedings of the 2001 Annual Conference of the European SPES Forum on "Responsibility in Economics and Business: The Legacy of E.F. Schumacher", which was organised in September 2011 by the Centre for Ethics of the University of Antwerp