Presentations

Laszlo Zsolnai was lecturing on Science and Ethics on June 23, 2017 in Budapest at Karoli Gaspar University. He argued that today’s science is captured by big business and commercial interests often distort the search for the truth. Cases of distortions are (i) presenting something which is untrue, (ii) rejecting something which is true, (iii) wrongly defining research problems, and (iv) developing biased research agendas. Solutions include independent, concerned and reflective scholarship open to spiritual… Read More »Science and Ethics

On May 29, 2017 Laszlo Zsolnai was lecturing on business ethics in the Athropocene at the Technical University of Munich. His main propositions were as follows: (1) The currently unsustainable state of the Earth is largely due to the  activities of business, so reconsidering the role of business in society and nature is unavoidable. (2) Without transforming business into a progressive social institution, which respects nature, future generations and the common good of society there… Read More »Business Ethics for the Anthropocene

On May 4, 2017 Peter Rona and Laszlo Zsolnai presented their book on Economics as a Moral Science at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. The presentation was introduced by Richard Finn, OP, the Director of Las Casas Institute for Social Justice.

The Center for Ethics of University of Antwerp and the European SPES Institute organized a European SPES workshop at the Antwerp Management School on December 17, 2016 in Antwerp, Belgium.  At the workshop Laszlo Zsolnai presented the book Ethical Leadership: Indian and European Spiritual Approaches (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2016). He argued that alternative development models are needed for India and the rest of the world. India and Europe should embrace their own noble traditions and seek to cross-fertilize one another to… Read More »Alternative Development for India and for the Rest of the World

With Knut Ims (Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen) and Antonio Tencati (University of Brescia and Bocconi University Milan) Laszlo Zsolnai gave a presentation on Business Ethics for the Anthropocene in the 9th TransAtlantic Business Ethics Conference in September 28 – October 1 at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The paper argues that the currently unsustainable state of the Earth (rightly called the “Athropocene”) is largely due to business, so reconsidering the role of… Read More »Business Ethics for the Anthropocene

Laszlo Zsolnai was lecturing on Integral Ecology, Frugality and the Intrinsic Value of Nature in the Annual European SPES Conference “Integral Ecology, Earth Spirituality and Economics” in May 27-29, 2016 at the University of Nordland, in Bodo, Norway. He presented the main economic messages of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter “Laudato si” and argued that Decisions and policies should serve the Commonwealth of Life which requires making qualitative and multiperspective considerations and the proper use of… Read More »Integral Ecology, Frugality and the Intrinsic Value of Nature

In the international workshop “Virtues and Vices in Economics and Business” held at the Institute of Philosophy of Catholic University of Leuven in June 19-20, 2015 in Leuven, Belgium Laszlo Zsolnai presented a paper on Prudence in Management and Economic Wisdom. He started with the definition of wisdom developed by psychologist Robert J. Sternberg as „the application of successful intelligence and creativity toward the common good through a balancing of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal interests over the… Read More »Prudence in Management and Economic Wisdom

The paper “Spiritually-inspired Creativity in Business” by Katalin Illes and Laszlo Zsolnai was presented in the World Congress on “Spirituality and Creativity in Management: Challenges for the Future” held in April 23-25, 2015 in Barcelona, Catalonia. The paper argues that spiritually-inspired creative business models are needed to overcome the instrumental rationality and extreme materialistic orientation of today’s business management which produces large scale ecological, social and ethical „ills”. The authors believe that business management needs a spiritual… Read More »Spiritually-inspired Creativity in Business

Laszlo Zsolnai gave a keynote lecture on “Happiness and Liberation: Economics Beyond Self” at the International Happiness Day conference on March 20, 2015 at the University of Turin in Italy. (VIS_Conference_2015.pdf) He discussed the conception of happiness in Aristotle and Buddhism and emphasized the importance of spirituality in achieving lasting happiness. He also explored the ways of liberation in contemporary economic context. He suggested that liberation in economic life may involve different strategies. The most… Read More »Happiness and Liberation: Economics Beyond Self

The paper “Social Innovation and Social Development” by Knut Ims and Laszlo Zsolnai has been presented at the The Eight Transatlantic Business Ethics Conference (TABEC) held at the Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA on October 23-25, 2014. The authors criticized the business models of the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) approach, arguing that the success of BoP businesses will finally be limited because they do not transcend the logic of mainstream, materialistic… Read More »Social Innovation and Social Development