Comments on Intentional Disciples: Can Business Be Catholic?

Br. Robert, OP: You said, "Every area of academic...

2008-06-04T11:27:00.000-06:00

Br. Robert, OP:

You said, "Every area of academics could benefit from a deep commitment to the pursuit of truth, from a sense of the dignity of the human person, from an openness to the inspiration and movement of the Holy Spirit in the world and in the lives of students and scholars..."

Dr. Naughton also teaches in the Catholic Studies program at UST in St. Paul, MN -- a program which does exactly what you mentioned (and more). It's a fantastic education -- and they plan to have distance courses available in the near future, for those who cannot attend classes in person.

Another thought occurred to me: business is not th...

2008-06-03T23:11:00.000-06:00

Another thought occurred to me: business is not the only area in which Catholic universities should engage the field with "ideas of vocation, faith and reason, spirituality" and principles of Catholic moral teaching. Every area of academics could benefit from a deep commitment to the pursuit of truth, from a sense of the dignity of the human person, from an openness to the inspiration and movement of the Holy Spirit in the world and in the lives of students and scholars. Even pure mathematics, for example, cannot be harmed by a respect for the value of the people who explore these abstract concepts, nor by a sense of wonder at the beauty of number and mathematical relation.

This Naughton guy is right on the money, so to spe...

2008-06-03T23:07:00.000-06:00

This Naughton guy is right on the money, so to speak. The difficulty will be in finding sufficient numbers of qualified faculty who have a good "mission fit", as he puts it. While much good has come from modern economics and business practices, many of the assumptions that these disciplines start from are dangerous and degrading to human dignity. Those who have studied for advanced degrees in economics and/or business are not likely to be critical of their field's foundational assumptions.

Still, difficulty is not impossibility, and with God all things are possible. Just as we pray for vocations to the priesthood or religious life, we also should pray for holy vocations to business and finance.

We ought never forget liberty is God's gift not th...

2008-06-03T10:30:00.000-06:00

We ought never forget liberty is God's gift not the Government's! Catholic Schools must fulfill their duty to instruct both private and public authorities that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely: read | Money, Bank Credit and Business Cycles | by Jesus Huerta de Soto and translated by Melinda Stroup at mises.org/books/desoto.pdf

Business is merely one means among many to an end. Its efficacy in assisting human flourishing rests not on the virtues of purveyors and clients alone but, much more importantly, on the ethics or lack, thereof, of the monetary means at commerce's disposal. In our global economy, economic sins wound not just consumers or producers, but savers too.

Central bankers carry a huge moral responsibility, yet try and enroll in "Central Banking 101: FIAT currencies, the ethics of creating money ex nihilo" and you'll be hard put to find anyone with the audacity to teach that good ought come from evil, yet that is exactly what Central Banks do!

Bravo! May there be many benevolent but shrewd te...

2008-06-02T22:52:00.000-06:00

Bravo! May there be many benevolent but shrewd tent-making disciples out there!

Also, Dr. Robert Spitzer (President Gonzaga Univ.)has a wonderful philosophy on the subject of ethical leadership that he calls "Life Principles." And I recentlty found a Catholic Business organization, Legatus http://www.legatus.org/ .

--Alisa

John Medaille at http://www.distributism.blogspot....

2008-06-02T21:18:00.000-06:00

John Medaille at http://www.distributism.blogspot.com/
is always worth reading on business matters and has a firm grounding in the Church's social teaching.