The End of Economics, Or, Is
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Council for National Policy (2 of 2) Box: 6
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Digital Library Collections This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections. Collection: Blackwell, Morton: Files Folder Title: Council for National Policy (2 of 2) Box: 6 To see more digitized collections visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected] Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/ COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL POLICY ~ OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR October 21, 1982 Honorable Morton Blackwell Special Assistant to the President The White House, Room 191 Washington, D. C. 20500 Dear Morton: We all missed you and were sorry you were unable to join us during the meeting of the Board of Governors last week in Colorado Springs. Everyone felt it was a very productive and successful meeting. Of course, Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick's address was the highlight of the meeting, but there were many other important and interesting presentations as well. I thought you might want to have a copy of the program of the meeting for your files. Please be sure to look over the list of new members - we added a truly outstanding new group. They include Frank Shakespeare, president of RKO General, Inc.; Dr. Cory SerVaas, publisher of the Saturday Evening Post; Rich deVos, president of Amway Corporation and co-chairman of Mutual Broadcasting; John McGoff, publisher of the Sacramento Union, and many others. I will be sending an updated mailing list in a few days. -
1 Unit 4 Ethics in the History of Western Philosophy
1 UNIT 4 ETHICS IN THE HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY Contents 4.0 Objectives 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Epicurus 4.3 Aristotle 4.4 Thomas Aquinas 4.5 William of Ockham 4.6 Thomas Hobbes 4.7 Jeremy Bentham 4.8 Immanuel Kant 4.9 John Stuart Mill 4.10 Emile Durkheim 4.11 Let Us Sum Up 4.12 Key Words 4.13 Further Readings and References 4.0 OBJECTIVES As Sir David Ross points out, in a classical work Foundations of Ethics, written over sixty years ago, there are, broadly speaking, two approaches to ethics. This is better known as the distinction between deontological and teleological ethics. The Greek word for an ‘end’, in the sense of a goal to be achieved, is telos. Hence, ‘teleological’ ethics comprises all those kinds of ethics which see the criterion of morality in terms of whether an action fulfills the overall total end of human life in general and of moral activity in particular. The word ‘deontological’ was coined by the British moralist, Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), from the Greek word, deon, literally, that which is binding. Deontological ethics views the morally good in terms of doing ones duty. Deontology would be the science of moral duties. We shall see that these two approaches differ more in emphasis than anything else; they are not mutually exclusive water- tight compartments. 4.1 INTRODUCTION Let us start with teleological approach. Ever since Aristotle, practically the entire Western tradition of philosophizing has accepted his contention that the ultimate human end is “happiness.” Now this could be understood as either exclusively, or with a strong stress on, individual or private happiness. -
TEACHING with DOCUMENTS the Twentieth Century: 1946-2001 TEACHING with DOCUMENTS the Twentieth Century: 1946-2001
TEACHING WITH DOCUMENTS The Twentieth Century: 1946-2001 TEACHING WITH DOCUMENTS The Twentieth Century: 1946-2001 A Selection of Units for Middle School and High School Made possible through a grant from the William E. Simon Foundation New York • 2018 Timeline Illustration Credits: Top row, left to right: Berlin Airlift airplane being loaded with supplies, August 18, 1948 (Harry S. Truman Library and Museum); Greyhound bus carrying Freedom Riders attacked by a white mob outside Anniston, Alabama, May 14, 1961 (Birmingham Civil Rights Institute); Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office on Air Force One, photograph by Cecil W. Stoughton, November 22, 1963 (Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library); Near Woodstock, photograph by Ric Manning, August 18, 1969 (Creative Commons BY 3.0); Sandra Day O’Connor, painting by Jean Marcellino, 2006 (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Jean Marcellino); Cleanup after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska, May 11, 1989 (National Archives and Records Administration); Remains of the World Trade Center in New York City, photograph by Paul Morse, September 14, 2001 (George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum). Bottom row, left to right: Nurse with patient in J. H. Emerson iron lung, ca. 1950 (National Museum of Health and Medicine); Hawaii Statehood air mail stamp, 1959 (National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution); President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library); Chairman Mao and President Nixon in China, February 29, 1972 (Richard Nixon Library and Museum); “Home is where you dig” [sign over the fighting bunker of Private First Class Edward, Private First Class Falls, and Private First Class Morgan of the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment, during Operation Worth, Vietnam], 1968 (National Archives and Records Administration); Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in Washington, DC, December 8, 1987 (Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum); President George H. -
Last of the Schoolmen Natural Law and Social Justice in Karl Marx
chapter 8 Last of the Schoolmen Natural Law and Social Justice in Karl Marx George E. McCarthy In this essay, we will examine the influence of natural law theory on the early and later writings of Karl Marx in order to show the continuity between his nineteenth-century critical social theory and the classical and medieval tradi- tions. In his 1926 work, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, Richard Tawney wrote in a relatively obscure and largely forgotten comment that Marx was the “last of the Schoolmen,”1 that is, last of the medieval natural law theorists fol- lowing in the footsteps from the twelfth to the fourteenth century of Pierre 1 Richard Tawney, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism (London: J. Murray, 1927). By character- izing Marx as the “last of the Schoolmen,” Tawney was referring to Thomas Aquinas’ labor theory of value and the continuity of traditions between Marx and neo-Aristotelian medieval Scholasticism. Tawney argued that Marx was the end of a long tradition of theorists that included the 13th-century theologian Thomas Aquinas, the 14th-century scholastic Henry of Langenstein, and the 16th-century Protestant reformer Martin Luther who made the point that the appropriate and “reasonable remuneration” of wages for a worker or merchant should be based on their labor and contribution to the common good. “The medieval theorist condemned as a sin precisely that effort to achieve a continuous and unlimited increase in material wealth which modern societies applaud as a quality, and the vices for which he reserved his most merciless denunciations were the more refined and subtle of the economic virtues” (pp. -
Mohist Theoretic System: the Rivalry Theory of Confucianism and Interconnections with the Universal Values and Global Sustainability
Cultural and Religious Studies, March 2020, Vol. 8, No. 3, 178-186 doi: 10.17265/2328-2177/2020.03.006 D DAVID PUBLISHING Mohist Theoretic System: The Rivalry Theory of Confucianism and Interconnections With the Universal Values and Global Sustainability SONG Jinzhou East China Normal University, Shanghai, China Mohism was established in the Warring State period for two centuries and half. It is the third biggest schools following Confucianism and Daoism. Mozi (468 B.C.-376 B.C.) was the first major intellectual rivalry to Confucianism and he was taken as the second biggest philosophy in his times. However, Mohism is seldom studied during more than 2,000 years from Han dynasty to the middle Qing dynasty due to his opposition claims to the dominant Confucian ideology. In this article, the author tries to illustrate the three potential functions of Mohism: First, the critical/revision function of dominant Confucianism ethics which has DNA functions of Chinese culture even in current China; second, the interconnections with the universal values of the world; third, the biological constructive function for global sustainability. Mohist had the fame of one of two well-known philosophers of his times, Confucian and Mohist. His ideas had a decisive influence upon the early Chinese thinkers while his visions of meritocracy and the public good helps shape the political philosophies and policy decisions till Qin and Han (202 B.C.-220 C.E.) dynasties. Sun Yet-sen (1902) adopted Mohist concepts “to take the world as one community” (tian xia wei gong) as the rationale of his democratic theory and he highly appraised Mohist concepts of equity and “impartial love” (jian ai). -
5. What Matters Is the Motive / Immanuel Kant
This excerpt is from Michael J. Sandel, Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, pp. 103-116, by permission of the publisher. 5. WHAT MATTERS IS THE MOTIVE / IMMANUEL KANT If you believe in universal human rights, you are probably not a utili- tarian. If all human beings are worthy of respect, regardless of who they are or where they live, then it’s wrong to treat them as mere in- struments of the collective happiness. (Recall the story of the mal- nourished child languishing in the cellar for the sake of the “city of happiness.”) You might defend human rights on the grounds that respecting them will maximize utility in the long run. In that case, however, your reason for respecting rights is not to respect the person who holds them but to make things better for everyone. It is one thing to con- demn the scenario of the su! ering child because it reduces overall util- ity, and something else to condemn it as an intrinsic moral wrong, an injustice to the child. If rights don’t rest on utility, what is their moral basis? Libertarians o! er a possible answer: Persons should not be used merely as means to the welfare of others, because doing so violates the fundamental right of self-ownership. My life, labor, and person belong to me and me alone. They are not at the disposal of the society as a whole. As we have seen, however, the idea of self-ownership, consistently applied, has implications that only an ardent libertarian can love—an unfettered market without a safety net for those who fall behind; a 104 JUSTICE minimal state that rules out most mea sures to ease inequality and pro- mote the common good; and a celebration of consent so complete that it permits self-in" icted a! ronts to human dignity such as consensual cannibalism or selling oneself into slav ery. -
Three Dimensions of Classical Utilitarian Economic Thought ––Bentham, J.S
July 2012 Three Dimensions of Classical Utilitarian Economic Thought ––Bentham, J.S. Mill, and Sidgwick–– Daisuke Nakai∗ 1. Utilitarianism in the History of Economic Ideas Utilitarianism is a many-sided conception, in which we can discern various aspects: hedonistic, consequentialistic, aggregation or maximization-oriented, and so forth.1 While we see its impact in several academic fields, such as ethics, economics, and political philosophy, it is often dragged out as a problematic or negative idea. Aside from its essential and imperative nature, one reason might be in the fact that utilitarianism has been only vaguely understood, and has been given different roles, “on the one hand as a theory of personal morality, and on the other as a theory of public choice, or of the criteria applicable to public policy” (Sen and Williams 1982, 1-2). In this context, if we turn our eyes on economics, we can find intimate but subtle connections with utilitarian ideas. In 1938, Samuelson described the formulation of utility analysis in economic theory since Jevons, Menger, and Walras, and the controversies following upon it, as follows: First, there has been a steady tendency toward the removal of moral, utilitarian, welfare connotations from the concept. Secondly, there has been a progressive movement toward the rejection of hedonistic, introspective, psychological elements. These tendencies are evidenced by the names suggested to replace utility and satisfaction––ophélimité, desirability, wantability, etc. (Samuelson 1938) Thus, Samuelson felt the need of “squeezing out of the utility analysis its empirical implications”. In any case, it is somewhat unusual for economists to regard themselves as utilitarians, even if their theories are relying on utility analysis. -
When the Kingdom of God Became the Kingdom of Ends: Altruism’S Development Into a Normative Ideal
When the Kingdom of God Became the Kingdom of Ends: Altruism’s Development into a Normative Ideal A Senior Honor Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with distinction in Political Science in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences by Benjamin T. Jones The Ohio State University December 10, 2006 Project Advisors: John M. Parrish, Department of Political Science (Loyola Marymount University) Michael A. Neblo, Department of Political Science (The Ohio State University) Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Introduction 1 The Paradox at the Heart of Altruism 4 Defining Altruism and Normativity 6 What Are We Looking For? 11 Roadmap of What’s to Come 14 Part I Towards a Problem: The Ancient Debate over Public Life 17 Eudaimonia and Ancient Ethics 18 Plato and Aristotle 24 Epicurus and the Stoics 40 A Solution from an Unlikely Source 47 Augustine’s Reconciliation of the Two Cities 55 Conclusion 63 Part II Self-Love’s Fall from Grace: How Normative Altruism Developed out of the Augustinian Tradition 65 Entangled in Self-love: Augustine’s Normative Argument 67 Augustine Goes Secular 75 Kant’s Problematic Solution 83 Reworking Kant—And Altruism 89 Conclusion 91 Part III The Problems with Normative Altruism 93 Two Conceptions of Altruism 93 Evidence for Altruism on a Descriptive Level 95 Motivational Barriers to Normative Altruism 113 Changing the Way We Talk About Altruism 121 Conclusion 126 Bibliography 131 i Abstract In contemporary moral philosophy, altruism holds a place of prominence. Although a complex idea, the term seeps into everyday discourse, by no means confined to the esoteric language of philosophers and psychologists. -
The Mendicant Preachers and the Merchant's Soul
MARK HANSSEN THE MENDICANT PREACHERS AND THE MERCHANT'S SOUL THE CIVILIZATION OF COMMERCE IN THE LATE- MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE ITALY (1275-1425) Tesis doctoral dirigida por PROF. DR. MIGUEL ALFONSO MARTÍNEZ-ECHEVARRÍA Y ORTEGA PROF. DR. ANTONIO MORENO ALMÁRCEGUI FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS ECONÓMICAS Y EMPRESARIALES PAMPLONA, 2014 Table of contents Prologue .......................................................................................................... 7 PART I: BACKGROUND Chapter 1: Introduction The Merchant in the Wilderness ............................. 27 1. Economic Autarky and Carolingian Political "Augustinianism" ........................ 27 2. The Commercial Revolution ................................................................................ 39 3. Eschatology and Civilization ............................................................................... 54 4. Plan of the Work .................................................................................................. 66 Chapter 2: Theology and Civilization ........................................................... 73 1. Theology and Humanism ..................................................................................... 73 2. Christianity and Classical Culture ...................................................................... 83 3. Justice, Commerce and Political Society............................................................. 95 PART II: SCHOLASTIC PHILOSOPHICAL-THEOLOGY, ETHICS AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Introduction................................................................................................ -
Download Press
“ … measuring him by the sentiment of his country, a sentiment he was bound as a statesman to consult, [Lincoln] was swift, zealous, radical, and determined.” — FREDERICK DOUGLASS, APRIL 14, 1876 LINCOLN AT PEORIA The Turning Point by Lewis E. Lehrman Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point explains how Lincoln’s speech at Peoria on October 16, 1854 was the turning point in the development of his antislavery campaign and his political career and thought. Here, Lincoln detailed his opposition to slavery’s extension and his determination to defend America’s Founding document from those who denied that the Declaration of Independence applied to black Americans. Students of Abraham Lincoln know the canon of his major speeches — from his Lyceum Speech of 1838 to his “Final Remarks” delivered from a White House window, days before he was murdered in 1865. Less well-known are the two extraordinary speeches given at Springfield and Peoria two weeks apart in 1854. They marked Mr. Lincoln’s reentry into Book Information the politics of Illinois and, as he could not know, his preparation for the U.S. History Hardcover Presidency in 1861. These Lincoln addresses catapulted him into the July 2008 debates over slavery which dominated Illinois and national politics for the $29.95 rest of the decade. Lincoln delivered the substance of these arguments 978-0-8117-0361-1 Published by Stackpole Books several times — certainly in Springfield on October 4, 1854, for which there www.LincolnAtPeoria.com are only press reports. A longer version came twelve days later in Peoria. To understand President Abraham Lincoln, one must understand the Peoria Press Contact speech of October 16, 1854. -
Where Keynes Went Wrong
Praise for Where Keynes Went Wrong “[An] impassioned . and . much needed book. In plain prose, . Hunter Lewis . begins by patiently walking us through precisely what Keynes said . then reveals why Keynes’s work is ‘remarkably unsupported by evidence or logic.’ Lewis does much more besides, showing how Keynesianism has lived in the minds and hearts of politicians, with disastrous results.” —Gene Epstein, Barron’s “Lewis has exposed with unmatched clarity the lineaments of Keynes’s system and enabled us to see exactly its disabling defects. Keynes defied common sense, unable to sustain the brilliant para- doxes that his fertile intellect constantly devised. Lewis’s book is an ideal guide to Keynes’s dangerous and destructive economics. .” —David Gordon, LewRockwell.com “Just what the world needs, and just in time. Keynes is demolished and his quack system refuted. But this wonderful book does more. It restores clear thinking and common sense to their rightful places in the economic policy debate. Three cheers for Hunter Lewis!” —James Grant, Editor of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer “Hunter Lewis has written a splendid book called Where Keynes We nt Wrong. The dissection of the English economist who died in 1946 is especially timely, given that the past two administra- tions and the current one are identical in believing wholeheart- edly in . key Keynesian dogma.” —Patrick McIlheran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “[This] compelling, powerful, and extremely readable book . is fantastic. ‘Must’ reading.” —Kevin Price, CBS and CNN Radio and BizPlusBlog “Lewis has done a service, even if in the negative, of concisely and critically summarizing Keynes’s economic theories, and his book will make readers think.” —Library Journal “[This] highly readable . -
Christian History & Biography
Issue 73: Thomas Aquinas: Greatest Medieval Theologian Thomas Aquinas: Did You Know? Interesting and unusual fact about Thomas Aquinas editors Trounced In a detail from Andrea di Bonaiuto's fourteenth-century fresco The Triumph of Saint Thomas Aquinas, heretics Averroes and Arius crouch beneath the enthroned Aquinas. Averroes (also called Ibn Rushd; 1126-1198) was a Muslim philosopher who, according to Aquinas, made a hash of Aristotle and led many medieval Christians astray. Arius (c. 250-c. 336) denied Christ's full divinity by positing that "there was [a time] when the son was not." Aquinas participated in no physical crusades against heresy, but he did believe that heretics "deserve not only to be separated from the Church by excommunication, but also to be severed from the world by death." Fancy meeting you here Aquinas and several of his enemies make appearances in James Joyce's daunting 1922 novel Ulysses. In chapter one, a character is asked for his views on Hamlet but replies, "I'm not equal to Thomas Aquinas and the fiftyfive reasons he has made to prop it up. Wait till I have a few pints in me first." Arius, Sabellius (the third heretic at Aquinas's feet in The Triumph), Averroes, and Moses Maimonides (see page 37) pop up as well. Heeding the call Franciscans in Assisi will soon enjoy a new feature in their habits: cell phone pockets. Some critics consider the innovation inappropriate, but Elisabetta Biancheri, who designed the habits, said, "It is simply a functional item of clothing. Even monks make phone calls." Biancheri is right about the phones, but she shouldn't call Franciscans "monks"—they're friars, and, as Thomas well knew, there is a difference (see page 23).