Prophets on investment: Exploring religious approaches to finance

2014 has seen the University of Edinburgh review its approach to socially responsible investment, and a global campaign movement calling for divestment from fossil fuels has gained much attention. In this context, we held a forum on October 3rd, 2014 to consider major religious views on the ethics of profit making from investment, and explore potential tensions between capitalism and religious approaches to finance.

Our expert speakers voiced considerations from three different religious perspectives: Dr. George R. Wilkes on Judaism (Research Fellow, School of Divinity, Edinburgh), Prof. Michael Northcott on Christianity (Professor of Ethics, School of Divinity, Edinburgh), and Mai Hamed on Islam (Doctoral Researcher, Political Science and International Studies, Birmingham). Dr. Philip Cook (Lecturer in Political Theory, Edinburgh) chaired the discussion.