About “The Mountain House Statement”
In July 2010, as part of the Caux Round Table, Dr. David Miller joined 11 other scholars from the three Abrahamic faith traditions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – to the organization’s birthplace in Caux, Switzerland. The scholars hosted a dialogue to discern and discuss core themes on social questions as a framework for assessing and responding to the global economic crisis that is affecting people, businesses, communities, and other institutions.
The product of their dialogue was The Mountain House Statement. This Mountain House Statement is significant because, for the first time, it combines the resources of the Abrahamic faith into a unified and constructive approach at a time when conflict and divisiveness among and within these faiths are so sadly prevalent.
Second, this Mountain House Statement is significant because it derives from the Abrahamic traditions very practical lessons for the conduct of finance and business.
These lessons are:
- Acceptance of limitations – that whatsoever we seek to do must be approached with humility.
- Acting always as a fiduciary – we are, each one of us, stewards of creation, duty bound to be constructive and not selfishly exploitative.
- Since power and wealth divert us from responsible conduct, great power and great wealth dramatically increase the risks of business and financial failure from cupidity, negligence, and arrogance.
- Religious conscience offsets the risks attendant upon power and wealth so religious faith should be present in economic and financial undertakings to ensure their long-term success.
About Caux Round Table
Founded in 1986, The Caux Round Table (CRT) is an international network of principled business leaders working to promote a moral capitalism. The CRT advocates implementation of the CRT Principles for Business through which principled capitalism can flourish and sustainable and socially responsible prosperity can become the foundation for a fair, free and transparent global society.
The Caux Round Table believes that the world business community should play an important role in improving economic and social conditions. Through an extensive and collaborative process in 1994, business leaders developed the CRT Principles for Business to embody the aspiration of principled business leadership.
The CRT Principles for Business are a worldwide vision for ethical and responsible corporate behavior and serve as a foundation for action for business leaders worldwide. As a statement of aspirations, the CRT Principles aim to express a world standard against which business behavior can be measured.
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