Building a World Through Binding Ethics and Moral Traditions: Catholic Social Teaching and Virtue Ethics in Business Ethics

Abstract

Businesses today face the dual challenge of achieving organizational effectiveness while fostering human flourishing in a morally pluralistic world. Moral systems offer guidance, yet differ widely in their precepts and societal impact. This paper argues that contemporary business ethics requires more than ad hoc value statements or profit-driven codes of conduct; it calls for a robust ethical framework capable of uniting diverse stakeholders and sustaining long-term success. Engaging with a range of moral traditions, we propose Catholic Social Teaching (CST) as a particularly rich development of virtue ethics that integrates classical insights with actionable principles for organizational life. Grounded in human dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity, participation, and the common good, CST offers a normative system that not only enhances business performance but also strengthens the social bonds on which thriving economies depend. By demonstrating how CST's virtue-based approach aligns organizational practices with universal human values, this paper presents a pathway toward a more ethically grounded and human-centered business paradigm—one that builds community, inspires purpose, and contributes to the common good.