RELIGION AND BUSINESS ETHICS - THE LESSONS FROM POLITICAL MORALITY

The issue of whether religious belief should be an appropriate groundi ng for business ethics raises issues very similar to those raised in a sking whether religious belief should be an appropriate grounding for political morality. In light of that fact that writings in political m orality have been a common resource for contemporary business ethics, this paper presents contemporary arguments about the role of religion in political morality while noting the relevance of these debates for business ethics. The paper takes the position that rather than excludi ng religion from public morality, political morality (and business eth ics) ought to take an inclusive, ecumenical approach. To argue this po sition and to present fully a range of literature normally not studied in business ethics circles, the paper presents and critiques the majo r contemporary authors in the field of political morality and contrast s them with the inclusionists who seek to keep public grounds open for all moral perspectives.