Tag Archives: Institutions

The Fable of the Fable of the Bees: Private Hubris, Public Scarcity

[Klik hier voor de Nederlandstalige versie van deze post] Following Bernard de Mandeville’s parable from long ago, neoliberal thinking sees people as ‘bees’ that compete for scarce resources. That competition is believed to bring out the best in people. This … Continue reading

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The language of the voiceless: Some questions about ecological ethics

[Klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie van deze post] We humans are not who we thought we were, not nearly as rational, unique and intentional as we imagined ourselves to be. Instead, we are intrinsically connected with all the life … Continue reading

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Social change and moral values: A modest research program to change the world

[Klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie van deze post] In order to bring about desirable social change, it is necessary to know what is morally desirable and what is social change. Unfortunately, ethics and social sciences fall short here: ethics … Continue reading

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Responsibility in a complex world

[Klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie van deze post] Responsibility has many facets, and it is typical of our current moral system that those facets interact so that people can be held responsible for their individual choices. This makes it … Continue reading

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The corona crisis as the big degrowth experiment

[Klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie van deze post] Until recently, the deliberate shrinking of the economy seemed only an unrealistic hypothesis. However, the corona crisis offers opportunities to take concrete steps towards such a ‘degrowth’ economy. However, the idea … Continue reading

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The moral charge of made institutions

[Klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie van deze post] The free market, representative democracy and modern science can be seen as institutions that were once designed to guard important moral conditions. The individuals who function within those institutions are forced … Continue reading

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A hero like Hirschman and the turns in transition thinking

[Klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie van deze post] Although they are completely different subject areas, there is a striking similarity between transition thinking and development economics: both assume a development curve that describes the shape of an S. This … Continue reading

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