Essays on Philosophy, Politics & Economics

by Favor, Christi; Gaus, Gerald; Lamont, Julian

• ISBN13: 9780804762540
• ISBN10: 0804762546
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780804774642
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-17
• Publisher: Stanford Economics & Finance
• More Book Details

Summary

This volume brings together distinguished philosophers with interdisciplinary expertise to show how the resources of philosophy can be employed in the tasks of evaluating economics and fostering policy debates. Contributors offer analyses of basic ideas in economics, such as the notion of efficiency, "economic man", incentives, self-interest, and utility maximization. They discuss key concepts in political theory such as desert, compensation, autonomy, equality, consent or fairness. The book then offers examples of how philosophical resources can be applied to specific, timely debates, such as discrimination, affirmative action, and ethical considerations in Social Security. These applications demonstrate how philosophy, politics, and economics can be fruitfully combined, while the more theoretical chapters clarify fundamental relationships across these related disciplines. Ultimately, the text guides students and scholars in expanding their perspectives as they approach the necessarily complex research questions of today and tomorrow.

Author Biography

Gerald F. Gaus is James E. Rogers Professor of Philosophy at The University of Arizona; he is the author of On Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (2008). Christi Favor is Lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology's Center for Ethics. Julian Lamont is Lecturer in the Philosophy Department at the University of Queensland.