Setting Up the Dialogue Between CST and CSR: The Challenge of Clashing Theories

Abstract

Christian Social Doctrine (CSD) embodies a coherent world view centered on four basic principles: the centrality of human person, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity. These principles have substantial content and as such they should be able to influence CSR. However, the difficult problem is that of translation: how CSD can be translated into a normative framework for a concrete understanding of businesses and CSR? In spite of numerous efforts, there is no consensus, nor any accepted way to provide an answer. Clearly, this is no wonder if one considers that the relation between rationality and moral principles is an unresolved problem in the history of ethics.

This chapter will critically examine the main philosophical approaches to CSR present in the current debate with the intention of showing why they are unable to cope with the many problems of opportunism in business and will conclude by indicating that a way out of these problems is to embed CSR in another concept of ethics, a concept where CSD plays an important role.