ELEVENTH ESSAY 9-26-00
Moral Economics - Essays On The Relation of Economic Theory to the Moral
Perspective in POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT: AN INTER-FAITH PERSPECTIVE.
[www.wfdd.org.uk/]
This is the eleventh of an occasional series of short essays about how
economic theory interacts with a moral perspective. Readers are invited to
discuss and to re-post widely, but please quote the source. To receive past
essays, please send a private email mesage to: [log in to unmask]
HUMAN RIGHTS
" The present articulation of human rights is a secular formulation of the
spiritual notion of the dignity inherent to each person, and thus has its
grounding in the basic principles of all the religions...A focus on rights
is important in view of the growing consensus that it is unacceptable for
some human rights to be set aside in the interests of development." [POVERTY
AND DEVELOPMENT: AN INTER-FAITH PERSPECTIVE, para 4]
ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
Sometimes economists will argue that the sacrifice of some human rights is
acceptable since such a sacrifice may create economic growth for the greater
society. Additionally, when a society has 'freedom' or 'democracy', some
will argue that the will of the majority can override the rights of a minority.
The U'wa people of Colombia have stated that they will engage in mass
suicide if oil companies drill for oil on their land. At this writing,
negotiations continue. One hopes that the government of Colombia does not
consider that the rights of a minority people are less important to
development than are oil revenues.
Clearly, any economic growth or development process, which violates the
rights of any person, is not a moral act.
Michael Pierce McKeever, Sr.
Economics Instructor, Vista Community College, Berkeley, CA
MIEPA URL: http://www.mkeever.com/
Corp Ethics List: http://www.egroups.com/group/corp-ethics/
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