"Are Economists Basically Immoral?" And Other Essays on Economics, Ethics, and Religion by Paul Heyne

by Paul Heyne, Geoffrey Brennan, A. M. C. Waterman

Overview

A well-trained theologian, a gifted and dedicated teacher of economics for over forty years, and the author of a highly regarded and widely-used textbook, The Economic Way of Thinking, Paul Heyne influenced generations of students of economics. Many of the essays in this volume are published here for the first time. The editors have divided Heyne’s essays thematically to cover three general areas: the ethical foundations of free markets, the connection between those ethical foundations and Christian thought, and the teaching of economics—both method and substance.

Paul Heyne (1931–2000) taught at Valparaiso University(1957–66), Southern Methodist University(1966–76), and the Universityof Washington (1976–2000).

Geoffrey Brennan is a faculty member in the Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS) at the Australian National University, Research Professor in Philosophy at the Universityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Research Professor in Political Science at Duke University.

A. M. C. Waterman is a Fellow of St. John’s College, Winnipeg, and Professor Emeritus of Economics in the Universityof Manitoba.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780865977136
Publisher:	Liberty Fund, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/20/2008
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Part 1:  Economics and Ethics

CHAPTER 1  Are Economists Basically Immoral? 1
CHAPTER 2  Economics and Ethics: The Problem of Dialogue 10
CHAPTER 3  Income and Ethics in the Market System 29

Part 2:  Economics and Theology

CHAPTER 4  Can Homo Economicus Be Christian? 49
CHAPTER 5  Economic Scientists and Skeptical Theologians 81
CHAPTER 6  Christian Theological Perspectives on the Economy 97
CHAPTER 7  Controlling Stories: On the Mutual Influence of Religious Narratives and Economic Explanations 118

Part 3:  Economics, Theology, and Justice

CHAPTER 8    Justice, Natural Law, and Reformation Theology 133
CHAPTER 9    The Concept of Economic Justice in Religious Discussion 151
CHAPTER 10  The U.S. Catholic Bishops and the Pursuit of Justice 171
CHAPTER 11  Jewish Economic Ethics in a Pluralist Society 192

Part 4:  Economics and History

CHAPTER 12  Christian Social Thought and the Origination of the Economic Order 213
CHAPTER 13  Clerical Laissez-Faire: A Case Study in Theological Studies 238

Part 5:  On Teaching and Learning

CHAPTER 14  “The Nature of Man”: What Are We After? 267
CHAPTER 15  Researchers and Degree Purchasers 276

Part 6:  Teaching Economics

CHAPTER 16  Economics Is a Way of Thinking 293
CHAPTER 17  Teaching Introductory Economics 302
CHAPTER 18  Teaching Economics by Telling Stories 315
CHAPTER 19  Between Sterility and Dogmatism 328

Part 7:  Economic Method

CHAPTER 20  Ethics on The Road to Serfdom and Beyond 339
CHAPTER 21  Measures of Wealth and Assumptions of Right: An Inquiry 348
CHAPTER 22  The Foundations of Law and Economics: Can the Blind Lead the Blind? 366

Part 8:  Policy Commentary

CHAPTER 23  What Is the Responsibility of Business under Democratic Capitalism? 391
CHAPTER 24  The Morality of Labor Unions 409
CHAPTER 25  An Economic Perspective on Illegal Drugs 436
CHAPTER 26  Economics, Ethics, and Ecology 441

Index 471

Editorial Reviews

Geoffrey Brennan and Anthony Waterman edit an outstanding volume and representative testament of Heyne's work. . . .Although one can take issue with Heyne's particular moral positions or his theological stance, he offers a social vision that calls all of us to lay down our dogmas, recognize the limits of our finite nature, and engage in fruitful dialogue. This volume represents a necessary read for all engaged in the good work of economic analysis and others who want to understand it.

Research in the History of Economic Thought & Methodology
Volume 28A

Geoffrey Brennan and Anthony Waterman have done a wonderful job of producing this volume, especially in making available the unpublished essays and biographical information. It is a . . . . major contribution to raising the level of discussion of relationships between economics and theology. I've enjoyed reading the essays immensely, and will continue to reflect on Heyne's arguments.

Paul Oslington
Policy
Winter 2009

What's the price of a human life? "Are Economists Basically Immoral?" and Other Essays on Economics, Ethics, and Religion is a look at economics and the moral and social contract of the world. All too often economists must attach costs to things with high emotional value, such as human and animal life, and there is much scholarly discussion on this topic contained within the pages of this volume. "Are Economists Basically Immoral?" is quite the piece for discussion, as it is intriguing and enlightening the whole way through.

The Midwest Book Review
March 2009

Heyne was a remarkable man, and the essays in "Are Economists Basically Immoral?” and Other Essays on Economics, Ethics, and Religion by Paul Heyne show something of that remarkableness. Even in discussions of topics well beyond the fundamental level, Heyne succeeds in providing students with an appreciation of basic economic principles. Written with the non-expert in mind, and in a highly engaging style, these essays will be of particular interest to students of economics, professional economists with an interest in ethical and theological topics, and Christians who seek to explore economic issues. The engaging style of Heyne’s essays makes them accessible to students as well as to scholars.

SirReadaLot.org
February 2009

This volume collects 26 unpublished and published papers of the late US economist Paul Heyne (1931-2000), many of which are concerned with the question posed by the title (also the title of the first essay) and the relationship between economics and theology (a lifelong concern of Heyne, who was a Lutheran ordinand in the 1950s). In addition to essays on the relationships between ethics, theology, and economics, the essays address teaching and methodology issues and also include discussion of the policy areas of the responsibility of business, labor unions, drug policy, and the environment.

Reference & Research Book News
February 2009

From the Publisher