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Fall 2006
ISSN 0890-913X
Volume 22, Number 1

The Kantian Ethic of Capitalism

Harold B. Jones, Jr., Mercer College
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JournalofPrivateEntelprise,VolumeXXII,Fall2006TheKantianEthicofCapitalismHaroldB.Jones,Jr.MercerUniversitySomeauthors(e.g.,Evan&Freeman,1993;Phillips,2003)havesuggestedKantianethicsasafoundationforschemesdesignedtoputlimitationsonthepossibilitiesforvoluntaryexchange.ThisisamisuseofKant.Astheultimateexpressionofclassicalliberalism,Kant'smoralphilosophyprovidesanethicalendorsementforexactlythesystemofeconomicsthatwasdescribedbyKant'scontemporaryAdamSmith.Thepresentarticleoutlinesthatphilosophyandshowshowitisrelatedtotheprinciplesoffree-marketcapitalism.WhoWasImmanuelKant?KantwasborninPrussiain1724,ayearafterAdamSmithwasborninScotland.Hisfatherwasasaddler,andforallhislifeKantdisplayedthecommonsenseattitudesofasmallentrepreneur.Hiswritingisfilledwithcatchphraseshemusthavepickedupatthefamilydinnertable:"Contractnodebtforwhichyoucannotgivesecurity";"bethrifty,then,sothatyouwillnotbecomedestitute";"benoman'slackey"(Kant,1996b,188);"hewhowouldliketoeatbreadshouldcontriveamill"(Kant,1996a,40).Laterinhislife,hisclosestcompanionswerebusinessmen,andeventhemostspeculativeofhistreatisesisfilledwithexpressionshehadpickedupfromthem(Kuehn,2001,241).Inoneplacehesays,"Itisbadeconomytospendblindlywhatevercomesinwithoutbeingablelater...todistinguishthepartoftherevenuethatcancovertheexpensesfromthepartthatmustbecut"(Kant,1998,207).Inanotherplace,hedescribesanargumentasparticularlyweakbysayingitislikeamerchanttryingto"improvehisfinancialstatebyaddingafewzeroestohiscashbalance"(569).Hereceivedhisdoctoratein1755andwasallowedtolectureasHaroldJones,Jr.37
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