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Spring 2023

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 38, Number 1

Categories: Spring 2023 | Ethics | Economic

Ethics as a Topic of Economic Inquiry: The Social-Theoretic Context

Jonathan W. Plante, George Mason University

Richard E. Wagner, George Mason University

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise38(1),2023,29-48EthicsasaTopicofEconomicInquiry:TheSocial-TheoreticContextJonathanW.PlanteGeorgeMasonUniversityRichardE.WagnerGeorgeMasonUniversityAbstractInorderingdifferentfieldsofscholarlyinquiry,ethicsiscommonlythoughttobeindependentofeconomics,withethicalprinciplesstandinginjudgmentofeconomizingactions.Incontrast,weexplorealineofthoughtinwhichethics,politics,andcommerceallemergesimultaneouslywithinthesamesocialorder.Principlesofeconomizingactionareubiquitous;however,thoseprinciplescanmanifestindifferentsubstantivecontexts.Ethicsiscommonlypursuedfromanormativepointofviewinwhichtheoristsadvanceprinciplesthatconstitutetheirvisionsofgoodness.Incontrast,wepursueethicsasasocialscience,thesubstanceofwhichemergesthroughtheeffortsofpeopletofashionarrangementsforlivingtogetheringeographicalproximity.Withinthisalternativeanalyticalframework,principlesofethicsandofpoliticaleconomyarebothemergentfeaturesofhumaninteractionwithinsocialsystemsinwhichstandardsofdesirabilityarelikewiseemergentoutputsofthosesystems.JELCodes:B41,B55,D46,D63,D72Keywords:stipulatedethics,emergentethics,systemstheory,ethicsassocialscience,privateversuspublicordering,GeorgSimmel,VilfredoParetoItisconventionaltotreatethicsandeconomicsasindependentobjectsofinquiry,withethicstypicallyregardedasconcernedwithnormswhileeconomicsisconcernedwithscientificexplanation.MichaelSandel’s(2012)WhatMoneyCan’tBuyillustratescrisplythisindependence.There,Sandelpresentsaboundarythatseparatestheworldoftransactionsintothosehethinksshouldbeallowedandthosehethinksshouldbeprohibited.Asforwhyhelocatestheboundarywherehedoes,heappealsmostlytoethicalintuitions,thoughhealsoofferssomeallusionstosocialdesirability.Sandel(2012)isaluminousillustrationofacommonattitudeaboutethics:ethicalstatementsare

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Metadata [hide]

Title	Ethics as a Topic of Economic Inquiry: The Social-Theoretic Context
Authors/Creators:	Jonathan W. Plante, George Mason University Richard E. Wagner, George Mason University
Year:	2023
Volume:	38
Number:	1
Pages:	29 - 48
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	stipulated ethics, emergent ethics, systems theory, ethics as social science, private versus public ordering, Georg Simmel, Vilfredo Pareto

Citation:
W. Plante, Jonathan; E. Wagner, Richard / 2023. "Ethics as a Topic of Economic Inquiry: The Social-Theoretic Context." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 38(1): 29-48.