Corporate Social Responsibility in Christian Ethics and Renaissance Humanism

Abstract

The Christian perspective on ethical issues of corporate social responsibility is based on a humanist understanding of economic life in the Renaissance. It treats companies as social actors who can affect the dignity of workers, the welfare of consumers, the stability of the community, the protection of the environment, public trust and sustainable development, rather than just profit-seeking entities. Christian ethics provides a moral foundation which brings human dignity, social justice, love in truth and the common good before the rule of wealth, capital or market power. Economic activity is acknowledged but it is required to benefit the person and society and not to turn people into inputs for economic production, consumers into instruments for economic production, or communities into means for generating profit. Reason, conscience, responsible freedom, civil order, cooperation, and public welfare are the supports for this foundation imparted by renaissance humanism. Corporate freedom is not absolute private power, it is only when it is regulated by the law, moral, responsibility of stakeholders and accountability. The authors claim that CSR extends beyond the realm of charity, reputation management and legal compliance. It will require businesses to embed ethical considerations in their profit-making activities, governance, disclosure, employment practices, environmental practice and stakeholder communication. A Christian-humanist definition of CSR only recognizes the economic power of the firm and views its success as tied to human flourishing and sustainable civilizational progress. The study demonstrates that vulnerable groups should be protected, human dignity respected, transparency promoted and the social and ecological conditions that enable business should be preserved, all of which are elements of responsible companies. Within this context, CSR is a moral way of engaging in society, maintaining the rule of law and social stability in the long-term that is effective in achieving business success.