Religion as the Third Rail of Ethics Education: What to Do about the R-Word

Albert D. Spalding, Jr.; Rita A. Franks

ORDER ARTICLE PERMISSIONS/REPRINTS/OFFPRINTS

To order inspection copies, and/or permissions to include this article in textbooks, edited volumes, course booklets, online/digital course packs, etc., and/or to order multiple individual hard copies for classroom use, please use the appropriate form available on the Order Forms page or alternatively, contact the Publishing Editor, Peter Neilson, pneilson@neilsonjournals.com directly.

Religion as the Third Rail of Ethics Education: What to Do about the R-Word

Albert D. Spalding, Jr.

Wayne State University, USA

Rita A. Franks

Louisiana Tech University, USA

Volume 9: 2012, pp. 395-410: ABSTRACT

Student bodies at most universities and colleges in North America and elsewhere are becoming more internationalized. It is not uncommon for a graduate or undergraduate business ethics class to be comprised of students from at least several different countries, cultures and religious backgrounds. Like many of their United States colleagues, these students often bring with them an understanding of moral principles that is informed, if not defined or prescribed, by their religious faith. The content of many business ethics courses, however, ignores or barely touches on faith-based moral epistemology. This paper suggests that faith and religion need not be banned from the business ethics classroom, just as they have not been banned from the business ethics research agenda. The authors conclude that scholarly engagement with religious principles and tenets can enhance the discourse and the impact of business ethics, and should not be ignored or trivialized.