The Logic of Profit and Faith

The workshop The Logic of Profit and Faith invites submissions that explore the relationship between economic reasoning and forms of life grounded in faith, ethics, and social practice.

Keynote speakers: David Silver and Samir Gandesha.

This workshop aims to bring together scholars across philosophy, critical theory, religion, and economics to examine the limits of calculative rationality, the nature of value, and the tensions between institutional logics and lived moral experience.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• What distinguishes calculative reasoning from forms of reasoning grounded in faith, trust, or commitment?
• Can economic rationality account for values such as mercy, dignity, or sacrifice?
• Is there a limit to what can be measured, priced, or optimized?
• How do language, power, and social practices shape what counts as “value”?
• What role does uncertainty, chance, or contingency play in economic and ethical life?
• How do religious traditions challenge or reinforce contemporary economic systems?
• Can business ethics accommodate demands that exceed profit-oriented frameworks?
• What are the ethical implications of treating human life, labor, or relationships as economic variables?
• How do different cultural or religious traditions conceptualize wealth, obligation, and responsibility?
• What tensions arise between institutional logics (corporations, markets) and lived moral experience?

Contributions engaging Marxist perspectives on value, labor, commodification, and ideology are especially encouraged.

Papers addressing these questions in light of recent conflicts in the Middle East are also welcome, particularly in relation to economic interests, narratives of value, moral justification, and the role of religion in shaping political and ethical responses.

Submission Guidelines:

• Papers must be submitted in English
• Submissions should be suitable for a 20–30 minute presentation
• Please follow the general submission process of WoCoLoR

This workshop seeks to foster a rigorous and interdisciplinary dialogue on the limits and possibilities of contemporary value systems.

Organizer:
Dr. Maira de Cinque
Assistant Professor, University Canada West
Co-chair, 5th World Congress on Logic and Religion (WoCoLoR)