Welcome to the Morality of Profit Competition

Background

A discussion of the morality of profit is timely. In the current global economic crisis, some critics have identified greed camouflaged as profit as the central culprit. This raises important questions such as:

• Are markets moral?
• Is profit a means, or an end?
• What is the relationship between greed and profit?
• Can the pursuit of profit be understood as a good in itself or a necessary evil?
• What are our core ethical responsibilities as we seek profits?
• What are the implications of the morality of profit to the cause of international development, and enterprise solutions to poverty?

The debate on profit is polarized along a spectrum, ranging from the pursuit of profit as the root of societal problems, to suggesting that profit is the only responsible measure of how to deploy resources and solve problems. In practical terms, we know that economic transformation requires invigorated markets that generate substantial profits. These tensions drive us to invite considered reflection on these issues. We are looking for submissions that examine all questions surrounding the morality of profit; that elevate the discussion; and that illuminate inflection points in the broader debate by exploring how this tension informs the key issues of our time (e.g. understanding the economic crisis, solving global poverty, stimulating entrepreneurship in poor countries, the environment, etc.).

SEVEN welcomes the submission of essays that explore the morality of profit through the lens of diverse cultural, religious, philosophical, and academic traditions.

What are we looking for?

SEVEN is seeking essays on the topic of the morality of profit. The model for these essays is the recently published “In the River They Swim: Essays from Around the World on Enterprise Solutions to Poverty” (Templeton Press, May 2009, www.intherivertheyswim.com).

Aspiring contributors to The Morality of Profit project are encouraged to review In the River They Swim, and in particular, the following essays:

• The Backbone of a New Rwanda, by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, for its moral authority;
• A Mind for the Poor, by Andreas Widmer, for its structure, and ability to move gracefully between narratives;
• Locomotives, Needles, and Aid, by Malik Fal, for its passion and intimacy;
• That’s my Duck: The Case for Integration, by Michael Fairbanks, for its integrative thinking;
• Leadership, in Context, by Ashraf Ghani, former minister of Finance of Afghanistan, for its paradigm flipping approach.

These essays are not meant to provide an exhaustive range of models. Rather, they display the kind of insight that we are seeking, and, together, they show the diversity that we are looking for in a similar collection on The Morality of Profit. We fully expect that some submissions to the project will be paradigmatic in fresh and unanticipated ways.

Submissions will be evaluated by an expert jury, in relation to the following criteria:

• an engaging hook or premise;
• a clearly defined agenda or thesis;
• emotional appeal;
• compelling data;
• well-crafted arguments;
• robust discussion; and
• a powerful close.

Pieces should be innovative and thoughtful in their approach; we are not looking for dry academic treatments of the topic, but rather engaging pieces that allow the author’s life and learning to unfold on the page as he or she explores key themes. For additional guidance and background on the essay form, aspiring contributors are encouraged to review the introduction of In the River They Swim, which is available online at: http://www.intherivertheyswim.com/sample-intro.html.