I have written from time to time about the need to look beyond the government controls versus free markets debate. Culture is an even more powerful force that can provide a context for our economic system that grounds it within a moral foundation. Here is an interview with Peter L. Berger on this topic that is fascinating. Prof. Berger is director of the Institute for the Study of Economic Culture and professor of sociology at Boston University. It was posted at the Acton Institute’s web site.
Berger states the following:
“I think cases exist where there are tensions that individuals who are in positions of responsibility have to work through. That is the subject matter of business ethics, which is a complicated and I think worthwhile undertaking. But there is a primitive business ideology that being good, being morally virtuous, will always lead to economic success. That is simply not true. The life of Jesus of Nazareth if nothing else would indicate that he did not start a successful corporation.
“So I think the relationship is not that easy. It does not mean on the other hand, that in order to succeed in business one has to be a brutal, immortal person. No. But there is a tension there. I don?t think there are any easily formulated general rules on how to resolve that tension, but I know many religious people in the business world who will struggle with this and sometimes come up with creative solutions.”
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