Lecture by Lord Brian Griffiths on “The ethical and cultural challenges for contemporary finance”
Saturday 14 December 2013 was the presentation on the course Economics for Ecclesiastics scheduled for the next academic year. The event was introduced by a lecture from Lord Brian Griffiths, Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs, on “The ethical and cultural challenges for contemporary finance”.
Introducing the Course, Rev. Prof. Martin Schlag, director of the Research Center Markets, Culture & Ethics, explained that the objective is to “contribute to a basic formation on economic themes, always including an ethical vision impregnated by the Christian vision of man”.
In a passage from his speech, Lord Griffiths affirmed: "The Judeo-Christian faith has been the basis of our respect for the rule of law, the dignity of the human person and the growth of democracy. It has been the foundation of enterprise, innovation and the market economy. It has fought for freedom and campaigned for social justice. Religion has stressed the values of personal responsibility, hard work, honesty, keeping one’s word, respect for others and family life. These are values and habits of thought which have been taught from a young age and are important to the formation of character. They are in marked contrast to the values of libertarianism or Marxism. They are not simply rules of ethics but habits of the heart. For economic life the important point is that they do not spring from within a market economy or a free society but come from outside of it".
