Freedom and Happiness in Economic Thought and Philosophy

Freedom and Happiness in Economic Thought and Philosophy PDF Author: Ragip Ege
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1136666826
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Starting from a distinction made by the American philosopher, John Rawls, in 2000 between two kinds of liberalism, "liberalism of freedom" and "liberalism of happiness", this book presents a range of articles by economists and philosophers debating the most fundamental aspects of the subject. These include the exact significance of Rawls’ distinction and how it can be related to European political philosophy on the one hand and to utilitarianism on the other hand; the various definitions of happiness and freedom and their implications and the informational basis of individual preferences. The objectives of the book are twofold: first, it is devoted to a thorough analysis of the founding texts of both liberalisms. It aims to determine the logic of selection of the concepts which these traditions consider as relevant. The Kantian pair "Reasonable"/"Rational" can be seen as the basis on which these concepts are defined, our final concern being to reveal the profound relations of complementarity between them: we call it reconciliation. Secondly, we consider a fundamental issue of welfare economics – how to appraise individual preferences – in light of the Rawlsian distinction. It is emphasized that neither a criterion based on liberalism of freedom by itself, nor an evaluation in terms of liberalism of happiness by itself exhausts the question of utility. One must combine both aspects in order to cope with that issue. To do so, it is claimed that one can resort to the concept of metaranking of preferences. All the contributions included in this book are the outcomes of a collective research project of three years. The contributors come from a variety of backgrounds and yet are unified in developing a specific position about freedom and happiness. This book should be of interest to those focusing on the history of economic thought as well as moral, political and economic philosophy.

Freedom and Happiness in Economic Thought and Philosophy

Freedom and Happiness in Economic Thought and Philosophy PDF Author: Ragip Ege
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1136666826
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 317

Get Book Here

Book Description
Starting from a distinction made by the American philosopher, John Rawls, in 2000 between two kinds of liberalism, "liberalism of freedom" and "liberalism of happiness", this book presents a range of articles by economists and philosophers debating the most fundamental aspects of the subject. These include the exact significance of Rawls’ distinction and how it can be related to European political philosophy on the one hand and to utilitarianism on the other hand; the various definitions of happiness and freedom and their implications and the informational basis of individual preferences. The objectives of the book are twofold: first, it is devoted to a thorough analysis of the founding texts of both liberalisms. It aims to determine the logic of selection of the concepts which these traditions consider as relevant. The Kantian pair "Reasonable"/"Rational" can be seen as the basis on which these concepts are defined, our final concern being to reveal the profound relations of complementarity between them: we call it reconciliation. Secondly, we consider a fundamental issue of welfare economics – how to appraise individual preferences – in light of the Rawlsian distinction. It is emphasized that neither a criterion based on liberalism of freedom by itself, nor an evaluation in terms of liberalism of happiness by itself exhausts the question of utility. One must combine both aspects in order to cope with that issue. To do so, it is claimed that one can resort to the concept of metaranking of preferences. All the contributions included in this book are the outcomes of a collective research project of three years. The contributors come from a variety of backgrounds and yet are unified in developing a specific position about freedom and happiness. This book should be of interest to those focusing on the history of economic thought as well as moral, political and economic philosophy.

The Economic Turn

The Economic Turn PDF Author: Steven Kaplan
Publisher: Anthem Press
ISBN: 1783088575
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 783

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Book Description
The mid-eighteenth century witnessed what might be dubbed an economic turn that resolutely changed the trajectory of world history. The discipline of economics itself emerged amidst this turn, and it is frequently traced back to the work of François Quesnay and his school of Physiocracy. Though lionized by the subsequent historiography of economics, the theoretical postulates and policy consequences of Physiocracy were disastrous at the time, resulting in a veritable subsistence trauma in France. This galvanized relentless and diverse critiques of the doctrine not only in France but also throughout the European world that have, hitherto, been largely neglected by scholars. Though Physiocracy was an integral part of the economic turn, it was rapidly overcome, both theoretically and practically, with durable and important consequences for the history of political economy. The Economic Turn brings together some of the leading historians of that moment to fundamentally recast our understanding of the origins and diverse natures of political economy in the Enlightenment.

Economic Analyses in Historical Perspective

Economic Analyses in Historical Perspective PDF Author: José Luís Cardoso
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351386425
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
This book brings together leading scholars of the history of economic thought to demonstrate the vitality and richness of a discipline that welcomes both practitioners of intellectual, contextual history, as well as specialists in the historical explanation of the analytical and theoretical dimension of economic science. They shed new light on a variety of themes and problems and move the frontier of knowledge in the areas covered. Economic Analyses in Historical Perspective is presented in three parts. The first deals with French traditions in economics, a field that Gilbert Faccarello has tilled for many years and to which he has made numerous contributions. The second turns to the dissemination and diffusion of economic ideas and theories across national borders, and thus to the European and even global level. Finally, the third part deals with analytical developments in some selected fields of economics: public economics, monetary policy, trade theory and spatial economics. This volume is of great importance to those who study history of economic thought, political economy and monetary economics. The chapters’ centre around the work of Gilbert Faccarello, making this book a fitting tribute to his academic career on the history of economic theory and ideas.

Identity Economics

Identity Economics PDF Author: Meral Uzunöz Altan
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040088074
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 197

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Book Description
Critics contend that identity economics overemphasizes social identities as drivers of economic activity, potentially obscuring other elements including personal preferences, incentives, and market pressures. Identity-related notions are challenging to measure and quantify meaningfully and rigorously, which is one of the most common criticisms. Identity economics has long been debated by economic scientists and practitioners, but it is still considered to be in its infancy, which also draws attention to the absence of a clear consensus and solid empirical support. This book fills that gap by providing an in-depth analysis of the main claims made in favour of identity economics. It explores the reliability of identity-based explanations, the difficulties with measurement and quantification, concerns about overgeneralization and essentialism, the function of economic institutions, policy implications, a lack of agreement and empirical evidence, and considerations of intersectionality and multidimensionality. The book considers three interrelated aims. Firstly, it familiarizes readers with the concept of Identity Economics. Secondly, and essentially, it persuades a larger audience of the relevance and creativity of this sector, and thirdly, it advocates for the applicability of the approach to the field of knowledge. The focus of the examination centres around these three objectives. Few would argue that identity impacts our decisions but given that solid theory is predicated on good abstraction, the real question is whether we lose anything by excluding identity from the theory. The book skilfully weaves together the literature from several disciplines including regional, gender, labour, social areas of studies, thus academics, students, and researchers in these fields will find the individual contributions useful for their respective areas of study.

Liberalism and the Philosophy of Economics

Liberalism and the Philosophy of Economics PDF Author: Tsutomu Hashimoto
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000650707
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
Drawing on recent work in the contemporary philosophy of economics, this book presents new ideas on liberalism, including the concept of ‘growth-oriented liberalism’. Since the end of the Cold War, questions and definitions of liberalism have moved from the sphere of political systems (the socialism versus liberalism debates) to the sphere of ethics (what it means to live in a liberal society). The chapters in this work trace the trajectory of the concept of liberalism in the philosophy of economics by exploring the ideological implications of the methodological debate between socialism and liberalism, the idea of liberty as real freedom, the ethical implications of Max Weber’s methodology on autonomy and liberty, and new typological theories of ideologies in the context of contemporary economic ethics. This book marks a significant contribution to the literature on liberalism in the philosophy of economics and economic methodology, and is highly recommended for readers who seek updated ideas on liberal society in its ethical and philosophical contexts.

The Adam Smith Review: Volume 10

The Adam Smith Review: Volume 10 PDF Author: Fonna Forman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351392859
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 559

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Book Description
Adam Smith’s contribution to economics is well recognised, but scholars have recently been exploring anew the multidisciplinary nature of his works. The Adam Smith Review is a rigorously refereed annual review that provides a unique forum for interdisciplinary debate on all aspects of Adam Smith’s works, his place in history, and the significance of his writings to the modern world. It is aimed at facilitating debate between scholars working across the humanities and social sciences, thus emulating the reach of the Enlightenment world which Smith helped to shape. This tenth volume brings together leading scholars from across several disciplines, and offers a particular focus on Smith's continuing impact on the history of economics. There is also an emphasis throughout the volume on the relationship between Smith’s work and that of other key thinkers.

The Varieties of Economic Rationality

The Varieties of Economic Rationality PDF Author: Michel Zouboulakis
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317817494
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
The concept of economic rationality is important for the historical evolution of Economics as a scientific discipline. The common idea about this concept -even between economists- is that it has a unique meaning which is universally accepted. This new volume argues that "economic rationality" is not not a universal concept with one single meaning, and that it in fact has different, if not conflicting, interpretations in the evolution of discourse on economics. In order to achieve this, the book traces the historical evolution of the concept of economic rationality from Adam Smith to the present, taking in thinkers from Mill to Friedman, and encompassing approaches from neoclassical to behavioural economics. The book charts this history in order to reveal important instances of conceptual transformation of the meaning of economic rationality. In doing so, it presents a uniquely detailed study of the historical change of the many faces of the homo oeconomicus .

The Positive and the Normative in Economic Thought

The Positive and the Normative in Economic Thought PDF Author: Sina Badiei
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000604071
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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Book Description
The book responds to the need for greater clarity regarding the relationship between descriptive, evaluative and prescriptive approaches within positive and normative economics. It also analyses the entanglement between evaluative and prescriptive perspectives within several theoretical frameworks in normative economics such as social choice theory, the capability approach, behavioural welfare economics and various theories of justice. It provides a forum for discussion between various schools of economic thought and several theoretical frameworks on the relationship between the study of facts, norms and values, with particular emphasis on classical political economy, the Marxian school of economics, the Frankfurt School, the Austrian school, the Chicago school, rational choice theory, expected utility theory, behavioural economics, experimental economics, development economics, welfare economics, public economics, constitutional political economy, the capability approach and politico-economic theories of justice. Given the scope of questions treated in this book, it will be of interest to economists, historians of economic thought, political philosophers and philosophers of science, especially those interested in the philosophy and epistemology of economics.

Essays on: The Nature and State of Modern Economics

Essays on: The Nature and State of Modern Economics PDF Author: Tony Lawson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131753087X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
What do modern academic economists do? What currently is mainstream economics? What is neoclassical economics? And how about heterodox economics? How do the central concerns of modern economists, whatever their associations or allegiances, relate to those traditionally taken up in the discipline? And how did economics arrive at its current state? These and various cognate questions and concerns are systematically pursued in this new book by Tony Lawson. The result is a collection of previously published and new papers distinguished in providing the only comprehensive and coherent account of these issues currently available. The financial crisis has not only revealed weaknesses of the capitalist economy but also highlighted just how limited and impoverished is modern academic economics. Despite the failings of the latter being more widely acknowledged now than ever, there is still an enormous amount of confusion about their source and true nature. In this collection, Tony Lawson also identifies the causes of the discipline’s failings and outlines a transformative solution to its deficiencies. Amongst other things, Lawson advocates for the adoption of a more historical and philosophical orientation to the study of economics, one that deemphasizes the current focus on mathematical modelling while maintaining a high level of analytical rigour. In so doing Lawson argues for a return to long term systematic and sustained projects, in the manner pursued by the likes of Marx, Veblen, Hayek and Keynes, concerned first and foremost with advancing our understanding of social reality. Overall, this forceful and persuasive collection represents a major intervention in the on-going debates about the nature, state and future direction of economics.

The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy

The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy PDF Author: Gerald Gaus
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040147747
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 897

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Book Description
The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy, Second Edition, is a comprehensive, definitive reference work, providing an up-to-date survey of the field, charting its history and key figures and movements, and addressing enduring questions as well as contemporary research. Features unique to the Companion are as follows: Extensive coverage of the history of social and political thought, including separate chapters on the development of political thought in the Islamic world, India, and China as well as in modern Germany, France, and Britain A focus on the core concepts and the normative foundations of social and political theory A section devoted exclusively to distributive justice, the central issue of political philosophy since Rawls' Theory of Justice Several chapters on global justice and international issues. The Companion's 74 commissioned chapters, by leading scholars from throughout the world, are divided into eight thematic sections: The History of Social and Political Theory; Political Theories and Ideologies; Normative Foundations; Distributive Justice; The National State and Beyond; Political Concepts; Approaches; and Issues in Social and Political Philosophy. Expanded, updated, and revised throughout, this Second Edition includes new chapters on Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE); Political Epistemology; Race and Ethnicity; Power; Foucault; and New Diversity Theory.