Are Markets Moral?

This volume scrutinizes the functionality of a capitalist market society, which is usually praised for the efficiency and dynamism, rather than for its morality. It addresses the dualism behind capitalism's encouragement of greed, which is usually considered to be a moral failing, while also being a driver behind economic growth. What happens to the morality of a society in which money rules the roost? In this book, over a dozen philosophers and economists come together to examine the consequences of living in a society in which exchanges between people increasingly take the form of buying and selling goods and services for money. Based on conference papers and discussions, this volume asks, in which ways does money change us? Capitalism's encouragement of greed is often considered to be its main moral failing, while also being the source of its economic energy. But this book is not solely, or even mainly, about the 'greed' of capitalism. A major theme is the contamination of moral values, including those of security and equality, by money values. Instead of the market being embedded in society, society has come to be embedded in the market. Are Markets Moral? provides an insightful debate on the morality of a capitalist market, and is essential reading for scholars and researchers of economics and ethics, and it will also appeal to policy-makers, practitioners and the interested lay reader

Edward Skidelsky is a Lecturer in the Philosophy Department of the University of Exeter, UK. He contributes regularly to the New Statesman, Spectator and Prospect. His previous books include How Much is Enough? and Ernst Cassirer: The Last Philosopher of Culture. Robert Skidelsky is Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick, UK. His three-volume biography of the economist John Maynard Keynes (1983, 1992, 2000) received numerous prizes, including the Lionel Gelber Prize for International Relations and the Council on Foreign Relations Prize for International Relations. He is the author of many books including The World After Communism (1995) and is the co-author of How Much Is Enough? He was made a life peer in 1991, and was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 1994. He is chairman of the Governors of Brighton College

Electronic book text

Epublication based on: 9781137472731, 2014

Introduction Session 1 -- Restraining Insatiability -- Robert Skidelsky, Perry Anderson and Robert Frank Session 2 -- Equality and Corruption -- Steven Lukes and Glen Newey Session 3 -- The Moral Limits of Markets -- Edward Skidelsky and John Milbank Session 4 -- The Meaning of Money -- Felix Martin, Geoffrey Hosking and David Graeber