Ethics and economics, today and in the past

Abstract

Economics was traditionally viewed as part of a wider study of human things, including ethics. It has drifted away from ethics despite the fact that ethical considerations inevitably form part of economics. After a brief introduction, the second section outlines the state of play in the economics discipline. The third section deals with the ethical crisis of economics today. The fourth section presents two grand narratives of ethics and economics. The fifth section sketches Amartya Sen’s critique of the mainstream and his alternative approach to economics. The sixth section provides some concluding comments.

Keywords

• Amartya Sen
• Ethical motivations
• Human well-being
• Social achievement