1,720,978 research outputs found
Love, money and madness: money in the economic philosophies of Adam Smith and Jean–Jacques Rousseau
No full textIn this paper, the economic philosophies of Adam Smith (1723–1790) and Jean-Jacques
Rousseau (1712–1778) are discussed, with special reference to their respective views
on money. It is argued that self-love plays an important role in their philosophies of
money. For Smith, self-love is the foundation of economic activity and a means to
quantify exchange relations. Rousseau, in turn, rejects money because of the possibility
that it may give rise to destructive and narcissistic forms of self-love—which he calls
amour-propre. It seems that Smith’s and Rousseau’s views of money are in opposition
to each other; however, both argue that their view of money becomes unsustainable,
if not qualified, by the embedded tension present in self-love. For Smith, self-love
must remain in tension with sympathy for the economy to function, as discussed in
his Theory of Moral Sentiments. Rousseau concedes that in society both amour-propre
and amour de soi (passionate, sacrificial love) are necessary. This tension introduces
a moment of madness that may have important implications when contemporary
philosophies of economics engage issues such as economic inequality and poverty
Sphere sovereignty and irreducibility: The ambiguous use of Abraham Kuyper's ideas during the time of apartheid in South Africa
Full text linkThe purpose of this article is to highlight the notion that the concept of sphere sovereignty as
postulated by Abraham Kuyper was used in an ambiguous if not invidious manner in the history of
South Africa, specifically during the time of apartheid. On the one hand, it is associated with the
justification of apartheid, which is particularly evident in the document Human relations and the
South African scene in the light of Scripture (1976). On the other hand, it is also associated with
Black Liberation Theology, specifically by Alan Boesak, who resisted apartheid. The problem is
that both these perspectives reduce the complexity of reality to race. According to Kuyper sphere
sovereignty meant that no aspect of reality could be an absolute point of departure to structure the
whole and each aspect is sovereign in its own domain. Thus, race or any other aspect cannot be
the norm to structure reality. The unity and the structure of creation are located in God as creator
of all reality. It is precisely this irreducible perspective of Kuyper that can be beneficial for postapartheid
South Africa because it views reality as a complex connectivity
Reframing the Tower of Babel narrative for economic justice within the South African context
Full text linkThe Tower of Babel narrative is profoundly connected to the history of South Africa and its interpretation in the Dutch Reformed Church document entitled Human Relations and the South African Scene in the Light of Scripture (1976), which was used to justify apartheid. In this article, it is argued that this understanding of the narrative is due to racist framing that morally justified the larger apartheid narrative. The Tower of Babel narrative was later reframed for liberation and reconciliation by Desmond Tutu. However, apartheid had an impact not only on the sociopolitical dynamics of South Africa. Submissions to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by business and labour highlight the impact of apartheid on the economy and specifically black labour. These revelations are responsible for new questions regarding the economics of the narrative that arise and may enrich the understanding of the Tower of Babel narrative. This focus on the economic aspect of the narrative is also supported by historical research on the Tower of Babel narrative that reveals that the dispersion of the people on the plain of Shinar may refer to the demise of the Sumerian empire, which was among other influences brought about by a labour revolt. In this regard, the narrative is a theological reflection on the demise of an unjust economic system that exploited workers. The purpose of this article is to critically explore this economic justice aspect embedded in the narrative in order to determine whether this reframing of the narrative is plausible. This is particularly important within the post-apartheid context and the increase of economic problems such as unemployment, poverty and economic inequality
Violence, liberation and the legacy of modernity: towards a theology of peace
Full text linkSince the rise of democracy in South Africa violence has been erasing freedom and
justice. In this article it is argued that the different theologies of Liberation, such as
Black, Feminist, Ecological and other contextual theologies, might have perpetuated
violence as part of the modernistic tradition they stood in. The irony is that the
emancipatory motives of these theologies precipitate the oppression they are
fighting. Theology therefore needs to revisit the modernist foundations of these
theologies in a robust dialogue that challenges the limitations of modernity in order
to discover emerging alternatives that nurture a theology of life, freedom and peace.
David Hart proposes a theology where the theme of beauty, as essentially peace,
adheres to every moment of the Christian story: A theology which celebrates a God
whose being is beauty; whose works are an expression of his beauty; and in which
the gospel is a story that persuades only by its beauty. This theology stands in
contrast to the dichotomies of for example Black and African Theologies which are
based on ‘modernity’s violent legacy’ – a reductionistic ontology.http://reference.sabinet.co.za/sa_epublication/scrip
Economic justice and prophetic discourse in the South African context - towards a dialogical mode of discourse
No full textThe prophetic discourse about economic justice in South Africa has been mainly influenced by Black theology, Latin American Liberation theology and African theology. In the case of influences from the Americas, economics justice is a salient dimension, with Marxism as a main critical tool of society and mode of discourse. This prophetic mode of discourse limits dialogue and economic transformation because it is an exclusive mode of discourse. We argue that a dialogical discourse, informed by the ideas of justice imbedded in economic theories (in example Adam Smith, John M. Keynes and John Rawls) and their implications for contemporary society, is required. The document 'The Oikos Journey' reflects the priority of economic justice in contemporary South African society with a more inclusive and holistic approach. Although this document is deeply indebted to the propethic discourse, it contains exemplary motives towards a future dialogical mode of discourse.http://srpc.ukzn.ac.za/journal-of-theology-for-southern-africa.asp
Financial management and phenomenology: The role of dialogue, accountability and context in investment decisions
Full text linkIn this article, it will be argued that subjective assumptions play a prominent part in the way
valuations are conducted and investment decisions are made by financial managers (FMs)
from the perspective of agency theory. The problem is that there is a general absence of rules
of compliance for financial management. Quantitative calculations are based on theories,
models and accepted practices that guide FMs in their decision-making process. The selection
criteria that inform these theories, models and practices rely on qualitative assumptions,
which are informed by the presuppositions of the FM. The problem is that this understanding
framework has traditionally not been assessed because of the assumption that the theories,
models and practices are value neutral. Value neutrality generally implies that calculations,
processes and projections are based on factual information and rational procedures that are
objective. The scrutiny of the assumptions involved in financial management assumes that the
individual has philosophical sensitivity. However, this is not traditionally part of the expected
competencies of finance professionals. Philosophical competency means that the FM is capable
of evaluating decision-making processes in order not to fall into the trap of circular logic or
solipsism as highlighted by Gadamer. Maurice Merleau-Ponty identified that the limitations
of such an understanding of reality result in a failure of responsibility and accountability.
From the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty, there are three principles for philosophical analysis,
namely, dialogue, accountability and context. These principles are applied to the purchase of
Gourmet Burger Kitchen by Famous Brands in 2016
The collusive power of modernism and reductionism: the need for alternative ontologies of land in the context of South African land redistribution
No full textThe Marikana Massacre, labour and capitalism: Towards a Ricoeurian alternative
Full text linkThe purpose of this article is to critically discuss the tragedy that occurred between 11 and 16 August 2012 at the Lonmin Mine in Marikana, South Africa. Although the events leading up to the Marikana massacre were complex and not one single factor was responsible for the tragedy we will focus on the philosophical and anthropological aspect that may have influenced the breakdown of engagement between the management of Lonmin and workers. It will be argued that this breakdown may have been the result of reductionist anthropological trends that arise in capitalism. These trends selectively utilize modern economic principles to advance the profit motive of business and dehumanises workers. This dehumanisation is clear in the view of workers by the Lonmin management and breakdown of communication. In order to provide an alternative anthropology the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur with special reference to his work Fallible man (1986) is explored and applied as an alternative anthropology for the reductionist trends related to labour that sporadically arise in capitalism. This offers a balanced view that incorporates the aim of responsible business to make profit with that of a sustainable labour market.Keywords: Marikana massacre, economic philosophy, anthropology, Paul Ricoeur, respecthttps://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.81.3.226
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
- …
