The second meeting of the European SPES was held in October 21–22, 2005 in Leuven, Belgium. The theme of the meeting was “Spirituality in the Context of Globalization.”
Participants discussed the role of spirituality in the context of socioeconomic globalization. Is spirituality a motivational factor of resistance to globalism, as seems to be the case in the anti- or alternative globalist movements? Or does spirituality, as a desire for universal brotherhood, sustain the drive towards cosmopolitanism, universal values, open communication and market systems? Does the globalization of religion lead towards a clash of competitive religious claims and attitudes? Or are we growing towards a new type of world spirituality? What could be the form, practice and function of this world spirituality?
Presentations included the following:
Thierry Verhelst (Brussels): Spirituality and Cultural Resistance to Globalism
Josep F. Maria I Serrano and Xavier Melloni (ESADE Business School, Barcelona): Globalization … a Marvelous Excuse for Many Things
Mike Thompson (The Good Brand Works, London) and Marcello Palazzi (Spirit in Business, Utrecht): Spirituality in Global Business
Toon Vandevelde (Catholic University of Leuven) and Gonzales d’Alcantara (Antwerp): Religion and the Origin of Culture: The controversial Vision of René Girard
Lorna Gold (Dublin), David Peat (The Pari Center, Italy),
Diana Schumacher (Schumacher Society, UK): The Search for a World Spirituality
Leuven, Belgium