The greatest threats facing society were the marginalisation of people who did not fit, the rise of "unthinking materialism" and distrust of authority of all kinds, Dr Maureen Gaffney, chairwoman of the National Economic and Social Forum, told the conference.
"If left untended, these will not automatically correct themselves but will corrode civic society, with no heroes left but the rich, the successful and the notorious," Dr Gaffney said.
A more hidden threat was the danger of depleting the "social capital" upon which our recent success was based. This social capital was made up of "society's stock of shared values, like trust, honesty, reciprocity, empathy, the keeping of commitments."
Traditionally, the main sources of social capital were religion and politics and "the revelations and convulsions of the recent past must not be allowed to obscure that". Dr Gaffney said she believed the way forward lay in the regeneration of social capital through the concept of social justice.
The leader of the SDLP, Mr John Hume, said increased poverty resulting from unemployment was one of the major effects of the Northern Ireland conflict.
The Belfast Agreement was based on a respect for difference, Mr Hume said. "There is no victory for either side in our agreement." Respect for difference would provide that society with economic progress for its people.