PHI 337LEC—Ethics and Economics

The discipline of economics holds tremendous sway over how we understand and evaluate our shared social and political institutions. Even so, the fundamental assumptions driving economic analysis remain extremely controversial from a philosophical point of view. In this course, we will therefore critically assess several of these economic assumptions. First, we examine the supposed moral and political neutrality of economics. Second, we reconsider homo economicus, or the assumption that people are rational, optimizing agents driven by self-interest. Third, we tease apart standard approaches to money, property, and markets. While our analysis may challenge traditional notions of economics, we will also consider how answering these challenges may give rise to more equitable and just economic ideals.