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This book offers different perspectives on Humanism as developed by Catholic Social Teaching, with a particular focus on its relevance in economics and business. The work is composed of three sections, covering what is meant by Christian Humanism, how it links with economic activity, and its practical relevance in the business world of today. It reviews the historical development of Christian Humanism and discusses the arguments which justify it in the current cultural context and how it contributes to human development. The book argues that the current recognition of human dignity and the existence of innate human rights are both ultimately rooted in Christian Humanism. It sets out the importance of the concept for economic activities, and how Christian Humanism can serve as a metaphysical foundation and ethical basis for a social market economy. Applying Christian Humanism to business leads to the centrality of the person in organizations and to seeing the company as a community of persons working together for the common good. Three thought-provoking case studies illustrate the wide-reaching positive impacts of applying Christian Humanism in the organization.

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Preface; Jordi Canals.- Introduction.- Domènec Melé and Martin Schlag.- I. UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIAN HUMANISM.- 1. The Historical Development of Christian-Catholic Humanism; Martin Schlag.- 2. Christian Humanism within the Current Cultural Context; Luis Romera.- 3. Being Human, Becoming Human: Christian Humanism as a Foundation of Western Culture; Jens Zimmermann.- 4. The Search for the Meaning of Liberty from Christian Humanism. New Perspectives for the 21st Century; Markus Krienke.- II. CATHOLIC HUMANISM AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY.- 5. Does Christian-Catholic Humanism Make Sense Within Economic Activity?; Miguel A. Martínez Echevarría.- 6. Three Keys Notions of Catholic Humanism for Economic Activity: Human Dignity, Human Rights and Integral Human Development; Domènec Melé.- 7. Christian Humanism - the Ethical Basis of the German Model of Social Market Economy; Arnd Küppers.- 8. Italian Economia Aziendale as a Model Inspired by Catholic Humanism; Ericka Costa and Tommaso Ramus.- III. CATHOLIC HUMANISM IN BUSINESS.- 9. The Business of Business is the Human Person; Lloyd Sandelands.- 10. Thinking Institutionally about Business: Seeing its Nature as a Community of Persons and Its Purpose as the Common Good; Michael Naughton.- 11. Why is a Catholic Manager Different?; Antonio Argando¤a.- 12. Business and Management Practices Influenced by Catholic Humanism: Three Case Studies; Geert Demuijnck, Kemi Ogunyemi, and Elena Lasida.- Index.

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