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The Philosophy of Debt Alexander DOUGLAS, Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. 164 pp

Author

Listed:
  • Louis Larue

    (UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN, Hoover Chair of economic and Social Ethics)

Abstract

In "The Philosophy of Debt", Alexander Douglas claims that we collectively have a duty to sustain the institution of debt. I discuss this claim on two grounds. First, I argue that one would need a more thorough examination of the sorts of goods the institution of debt is supposed to sustain. Not all debts are beneficial, and not all forms of production are desirable. Second, I contend that individual agents may not always be able to go into debt. It is not at all clear, therefore, that they have a duty to promote and sustain this institution.

Suggested Citation

  • Louis Larue, 2017. "The Philosophy of Debt Alexander DOUGLAS, Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. 164 pp," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2017017, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    • Handle: RePEc:ctl:louvir:2017017
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    File URL: https://sites.uclouvain.be/econ/DP/IRES/2017017.pdf
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Debt; Economic Ethics; History of Economic Thought; Economic History;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B5 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches
    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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