This paper supports Amartya Sen's contention that our moral behavior cannot be represented in economic modeling, given the assumptions accepted by most rational choice theorists. In this paper Sen's argument is supplemented by traditional virtue ethics, which can account for how and why “commitment” is counter-preferential. Yet the changes to economic methodology that Sen recommends are rendered unnecessary by a particular innovation in Stoic ethical theory. If the Stoic distinction between indifferent goods and moral goods is invoked, economics can proceed apace, under the assumption that it is the science that handles our behavior in regard to indifferents only.
Download Info
To download:
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the
proper application to
view it first. Information about this may be contained
in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read
the IDEAS help
page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS
site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.