Economic Morality: Ancient to Modern Readings (Capitalist Thought: Studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) - Hardcover

Clark, Henry C.; Allison, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0739192507 ISBN 13: 9780739192504

Publisher: Lexington Books, 2014

Synopsis

This volume provides an integrated and wide-ranging set of primary-source readings on the relationship between moral values and economic activity, as articulated by some of the leading figures in Western civilization. From the ancient Greeks to the present, Economic Morality: Ancient to ModernReadings offers substantial coverage to each major period of history: classical Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and the modern era. Everything from Aristotle to Adam Smith, from Marx to Hayek, and from Proudhon to Nozick has been brought together in one comprehensive survey.

The perspectives represented in our volume include those of Christians and Muslims; Protestants, Catholics, and Jews; believers and non-believers; capitalists and socialists; conservatives and libertarians. They emphasize both law and mores, as well as history, philosophy, religion, and economics. This is a genuinely interdisciplinary volume, and one that invites a catholic and humanistic conversation.

In preparing this collection, the contributors aim to recover something of the range of moral opinion that first accompanied the rise of “economics” in the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. The loss of that range of opinion has left a troubling void in our academic and public discourse. Those who broadly embrace the modern economic project tend to view it pragmatically but not morally, while those who are more critical of it often end up in a moral monologue that is unsatisfying to all sides. By showing the optimistic pragmatists the rich tradition of moral criticism and the pessimistic critics the equally rich tradition of (qualified) moral approbation, this volume seeks to facilitate conversation and bring much-needed mutual comprehension to a perennial debate.

About this title

About the Author

Henry C. Clark is a visiting professor in the Political Economy Project at Dartmouth College.

Eric Allison is the associate director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism at Clemson University.

Review

Inequality or economic progress? Greed or wealth creation? Exploitation or mutually beneficial exchange? Virtue destroying or virtue enhancing? Today’s debates always seem to come from diametrically opposite perspectives, but there is a rich tradition of debate about these topics that stretches back for centuries and has often featured more nuanced positions. Clark and Allison have assembled an array of those historical debates as an excellent way for students to enrich their understanding of the moral dimensions of economic growth. Whatever their perspective, readers will find their appreciation for the issues deepened and broadened. (Ross Emmett, Michigan State University)

Economic Morality: Ancient to Modern Readings reveals the rich legacy of thought on the moral framework of economic institutions and practices—property, labor, money, markets, and the production of wealth. With readings spanning over two millennia, this rich and rewarding collection provides a uniquely valuable resource for students, scholars, and thoughtful citizens. (Eugene Heath, Professor of Philosophy, State University of New York, New Paltz)

Economic Morality: Ancient to Modern Readings, Henry C. Clark and Eric Allison introduce readers to the variety of ways in which thinkers have viewed the relationship of morality and economic life throughout history. To do this, they have superbly constructed a wide-ranging array of selections from the major periods in the Western past and from a diverse collection of philosophers, religious thinkers, economists and social commentators. The editors succeed in demonstrating how important it is to view this subject matter from many different lenses. The breadth of their collection illuminates the multiple types of perspectives from which the relationship between economics and morality can be seen. Designed to begin a conversation, this impressive volume will be of interest to anyone involved in the complex economic world that engages us all. (Ed Younkins, Wheeling Jesuit University)

This volume provides an integrated and wide-ranging set of primary-source readings on the relationship between moral values and economic activity, as articulated by some of the leading figures in Western civilization. It aims to recover some of the range of moral opinion that was lost after the rise of “economics” in the Enlightenment, and thereby contribute some much-needed mutual comprehension in our often rancorous contemporary debates about the moral implications of a complex modern economy.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0739192507
• ISBN 13: 9780739192504
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 392