IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ers/journl/vxxviiiy2025i1p472-494.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Human Dignity in Christian Thought and Concepts of Human Nature in Economics

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Horodecka
  • Andrzej J. Żuk

Abstract

Purpose: This article aims to analyse the understanding of human dignity in contemporary schools and currents of economic thought. Design/Methodology/Approach: The authors, drawing on the rich tradition of the concept developed by Christian thought, have formulated their own concept of human dignity, which served as a basis for analysing various concepts of human nature in economics. Images of human nature play a key role in shaping economic assumptions and enable the creation of theories in this field. In turn, human dignity is inextricably linked to the concept of human nature. Findings: The analyses conducted allowed us to prove the thesis that the perception of human nature concerning its dignity in contemporary schools and currents of economics is heterogeneous. Numerous weaknesses were also demonstrated regarding the perception of human nature and human dignity within the dominant concept of homo oeconomicus. Practical Implications: The concept of human dignity not only arouses considerable interest among theologians and philosophers but also among scholars from other disciplines, including lawyers, historians, sociologists, and psychologists. Originality/Value: It plays a fundamental role in understanding social life and guiding political actions. Since economics is a social science, a question arises as to whether and how it incorporates the issue of human dignity into its theories.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Horodecka & Andrzej J. Żuk, 2025. "Human Dignity in Christian Thought and Concepts of Human Nature in Economics," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 472-494.
    • Handle: RePEc:ers:journl:v:xxviii:y:2025:i:1:p:472-494
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ersj.eu/journal/3916/download
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Julie Nelson, 2003. "Once More, With Feeling: Feminist Economics and the Ontological Question," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 109-118.
    2. Aneta Kargol-Wasiluk & Anna Wildowicz-Giegiel & Marian Zalesko, 2018. "The Evolution of the Economic Man. From Homo Oeconomicus to Homo Moralis," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 1, pages 33-57.
    3. Boulding, Kenneth E, 1969. "Economics as a Moral Science," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(1), pages 1-12, March.
    4. Martha Nussbaum, 2003. "Capabilities As Fundamental Entitlements: Sen And Social Justice," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2-3), pages 33-59.
    5. Boulding, K E, 1991. "What Is Evolutionary Economics?," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 9-17, January.
    6. Norgaard, Richard B., 2010. "Ecosystem services: From eye-opening metaphor to complexity blinder," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 1219-1227, April.
    7. Mark Lutz, 1993. "Social economics and economics imperialism," Forum for Social Economics, Springer;The Association for Social Economics, vol. 23(1), pages 1-12, September.
    8. Faber, Malte & Petersen, Thomas & Schiller, Johannes, 2002. "Homo oeconomicus and homo politicus in Ecological Economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 323-333, March.
    9. Justyna Brzezicka & Radosław Wisniewski, 2014. "Homo Oeconomicus and Behavioral Economics," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 8(4), December.
    10. Nyborg, Karine, 2000. "Homo Economicus and Homo Politicus: interpretation and aggregation of environmental values," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 305-322, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Frings, Oliver & Abildtrup, Jens & Montagné-Huck, Claire & Gorel, Salomé & Stenger, Anne, 2023. "Do individual PES buyers care about additionality and free-riding? A choice experiment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    2. Heinzel, Christoph & Winkler, Ralph, 2006. "Gradual versus structural technological change in the transition to a low-emission energy industry: How time-to-build and differing social and individual discount rates influence environmental and tec," Dresden Discussion Paper Series in Economics 09/06, Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Economics.
    3. Lehmann, Ina & Martin, Adrian & Fisher, Janet A., 2018. "Why Should Ecosystem Services Be Governed to Support Poverty Alleviation? Philosophical Perspectives on Positions in the Empirical Literature," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 265-273.
    4. Anna Horodecka, 2015. "The Changing Face of Economics? Ethical Issues in Contemporary Economic Schools as a Consequence of Changes in the Concept of Human Nature," Annales. Ethics in Economic Life, University of Lodz, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, vol. 18(4), pages 55-71, December.
    5. Veisten, Knut, 2007. "Contingent valuation controversies: Philosophic debates about economic theory," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 204-232, April.
    6. Osberg, Gustav & Schulz, Felix & Bretter, Christian, 2024. "Navigating sustainable futures: The role of terminal and instrumental values," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    7. Becker, Christian, 2006. "The human actor in ecological economics: Philosophical approach and research perspectives," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 17-23, November.
    8. Kolinjivadi, Vijay & Adamowski, Jan & Kosoy, Nicolás, 2014. "Recasting payments for ecosystem services (PES) in water resource management: A novel institutional approach," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 10(C), pages 144-154.
    9. Ahmad Jafari Samimi, 2011. "Ethonomics & the History of Economic Thought," Journal of Social and Development Sciences, AMH International, vol. 2(5), pages 223-232.
    10. Becker, Christian & Faber, Malte & Hertel, Kirsten & Manstetten, Reiner, 2005. "Malthus vs. Wordsworth: Perspectives on humankind, nature and economy. A contribution to the history and the foundations of ecological economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 299-310, May.
    11. van der Heide, C.M. & Blaeij, A.T. de & Heijman, Wim J.M., 2008. "Economic Aspects in Landscape Decision-making: a Participatory Planning Tool based on a Representative Approach," 2008 International Congress, August 26-29, 2008, Ghent, Belgium 43949, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Menzel, Susanne, 2013. "Are emotions to blame? — The impact of non-analytical information processing on decision-making and implications for fostering sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 71-78.
    13. Anna Horodecka, 2015. "The Goal of Evolutionary and Neoclassical Economics as a Consequence of the Changes in Concepts of Human Nature," Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, Eurasian Publications, vol. 3(4), pages 53-71.
    14. Azqueta, Diego & Delacamara, Gonzalo, 2006. "Ethics, economics and environmental management," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(4), pages 524-533, April.
    15. Schumacher, Ingmar, 2014. "An Empirical Study of the Determinants of Green Party Voting," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 306-318.
    16. Eggert, Håkan & Kataria, Mitesh & Lampi, Elina, 2016. "Difference in Preferences or in Preference Orderings? Comparing Choices of Environmental Bureaucrats, Recreational Anglers, and the Public," Working Papers in Economics 669, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    17. Zawojska, Aldona, 2010. "Homo agricola considered as homo economicus and homo politicus," IAMO Forum 2010: Institutions in Transition – Challenges for New Modes of Governance 52709, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO).
    18. Aurora García‐Gallego & Nikolaos Georgantzís, 2009. "Market Effects of Changes in Consumers' Social Responsibility," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 235-262, March.
    19. Kinghorn, Philip, 2019. "Using deliberative methods to establish a sufficient state of capability well-being for use in decision-making in the contexts of public health and social care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    20. Günseli Berik, Haimanti Bhattacharya, Tejinder Pal Singh, Aashima Sinha, Jacqueline Strenio, Sharin Shajahan Naomi, Sameen Zafar, Sharon Talboys, 2023. "Capability Approach to Public-space Harassment of Women: Evidence from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan," Working Paper Series, Department of Economics, University of Utah 2023_05, University of Utah, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Human dignity; concepts of human nature in economics; homo oeconomicus; christian philosophy; Catholic social teaching; heterodox economics; human rationality in economics.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion
    • B59 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Other
    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ers:journl:v:xxviii:y:2025:i:1:p:472-494. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Marios Agiomavritis (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://ersj.eu/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.