scholarly journals A philosophical and socio-historical defense of the secular, democratic and mixed economic state

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Geoffrey
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Real World ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Economic Thought ◽  
Interest Theory ◽  
The Real ◽  
Philosophical Foundations ◽  
Ideal World ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Economic State

An inquiry into the philosophical foundations of a secular, democratic welfare state has been carried out. The necessity of such a work arises because a deeper philosophical framework is necessary for clarity to define secularism of whether secularism means pluralism and the tolerance of diversity for a greater end or the absolution of atheistic humanism and its intolerance toward other worldviews. Self-interest theory of human behavior is discussed as the basis for requiring reduction is power concentration and how such reductions in power concentrations is achieved through a democratic mixed economic state is discussed. The self-interest theory of human behavior says that human action is driven by self-interest which is automatic, natural and viscerally compelling while our obligation to others is a more thoughtful process of deliberation over morality. However by the common psychological biases such as confirmation and self-serving biases, our individualism overpowers our morality. Therefore it is concluded that while a Democratic mixed economic state is not the idealism of all that power can achieve if we did everything right in an ideal world but rather what we need to prevent the worst from happening in the real world by the dangers of power concentrations and self-interest seeking individuals and considering we live in the real world than in the ideal world we should take it as the best possible solution to our political and economic thought

scholarly journals The Ethics of Regulation

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
David Antoni ◽  
Freddy Leal
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Regulatory Environment ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
The Real ◽  
Ideal World ◽  
Effi Ciency ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
Regulatory Intervention

Regulations are often imposed in order to correct any failures in the market, whether the failure is a result of the functioning of a market or the behaviour of a government. However, every regulatory intervention br ings up a question: How ethical is the regulation? Even if a regulatory intervention could achieve more effici ency or more equity, it may not mean that it is ethi cal. The concept of ethics is ne cessarily subjective, it is based on the morals and standards of a society. Yet even though a society may be concerned about ethics, the issues of equity and altrui sm matter as does the way in which firms produce and seek to rationally an d efficiently maximize profit. Defining ethics is a difficul t issue, and defining ethical regu lation is even more difficult. Any form of regulation is a tool for interv ention used to balanc e the trade-off between efficiency and equity to create harmony between a market or economy and the society it functions within. In an ideal world, any go vernment intervention implemented would be for the greater benefit of all. However, this does not always happen in the vicissitudes of the real world when governments regulate an d intervene in markets, which are, in turn, based on the principle of rational self-interest and efficiency. In this paper we discuss the role of society in market regu lation. The discussion will focus on the importance of society on ethics and therefore on what constitutes ethical regulations. In fact we argue that equity, effi ciency or even failures are not the main factors to consider when regulating. It is society that defines ethics and how society understands ethics influences the regulatory environment

scholarly journals Biblical Inspirations in Nikifor’s Paintings

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-46
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Wałczyk
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
The Self ◽  
Creative Activity ◽  
The Real ◽  
Ideal World ◽  
The World ◽  
Biblical Anthropology ◽  
Divine Order ◽  
The Ideal

Nikifor Krynicki (Epifaniusz Drowniak, 1895-1968) was one of the most popular non-academic Polish painters worldwide. To show the biblical inspiration in his creative output I chose two categories from various thematic aspects: self-portraits and landscapes with a church. There are plenty of Nikifor’s paintings showing him as a teacher, as a celebrating priest, as a bishop, or even as Christ. A pop­ular way to explain this idea of self-portraits is a psychological one: as a form of auto-therapy. This analysis is aims to show a deeper expla­nation for the biblical anthropology. Nikifor’s self-portraits as a priest celebrating the liturgy are a symbol of creative activity understood as a divine re-creation of the world. Such activity needs divine inspira­tion. Here are two paintings to recall: Potrójny autoportret (The triple self-portrait) and Autoportret w trzech postaciach (Self-portrait in three persons). The proper way to understand the self-identification with Christ needs a reference to biblical anthropology. To achieve our re­al-self we need to identify with Christ, whose death and resurrection bring about our whole humanity. The key impression we may have by showing Nikifor’s landscapes with a church is harmony. The painter used plenty of warm colors. Many of the critics are of the opinion that Nikifor created an imaginary, ideal world in his landscapes, the world he wanted to be there and not the real world. The thesis of this article is that Nikifor created not only the ideal world, but he also showed the source of the harmony – the divine order.

Just My Imagination: Beauty premium and the evolved mental model

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Oda
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Real World ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
The Real ◽  
Beauty Premium ◽  
Human Capacity

AbstractImagination, an important feature of the human mind, may be at the root of the beauty premium. The evolved human capacity for simulating the real world, developed as an adaptation to a complex social environment, may offer the key to understanding this and many other aspects of human behavior.

People actually are about as bad as social psychologists say, or worse

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-352
Author(s):  
Michael P. Maratsos
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
The Real ◽  
Self Interest

Experimental studies are not representative of how badly people function. We study people under relatively innocuous conditions, where their self-interests are very low. In the real world, where people's self-interests are much higher, people are much worse a good deal of the time (some illustrations are cited). This is often “adaptive” for the perpetrators, but that doesn't make it “good” behavior. That people function so badly in our experiments, where self-interest is relatively minimal, is what is really terrifying.

Democratic Ideals in a Non-Ideal World

2020 ◽  
pp. 175-194
Author(s):  
Mary F. Scudder
Keyword(s):  
Political Behavior ◽  
Real World ◽  
Critical Value ◽  
Ideal Theory ◽  
The Real ◽  
Ideal World ◽  
Democratic Ideals ◽  
The Ideal

The book concludes with a discussion of the real-world implications of pursuing a politics of listening. Does the expectation to fairly consider the inputs of others apply equally to members of a minority or marginalized group as it does to the relatively powerful and privileged members of society? Chapter 7 explains how to pursue the ideal of uptake and a politics of listening while remaining sensitive to the non-ideal conditions of the present. The chapter draws on political behavior research to show that people are capable of meeting the demands of citizenship laid out in this book. Nonetheless, this chapter also defends the practical value of the ideal of uptake, even when our efforts to attain it fall short. Discussing what to do when listening and uptake are consistently denied or beyond our reach, the chapter concludes by considering the critical value of ideal theory in a non-ideal world.

scholarly journals The place of The General Theory in the economics canon

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-92
Author(s):  
Constantinos Repapis
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
General Theory ◽  
Real World ◽  
Human Agency ◽  
Economic Thought ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Effective Demand ◽  
The Real ◽  
Economic Advice

This paper presents in non-technical language an interpretation of the argument of The General Theory, which is the importance of effective demand and its relation to human agency. It argues that The General Theory is not only a treatise on economic theory, but also, and more importantly, a treatise on methodology, i.e. how economists should reason when dealing with the complexity of the real world. Implicit in this analysis is a distinct position on the remit of the economist and the nature of economic advice and policy. This interpretation suggests that this understanding forms a new paradigm of thinking about the economy at large, centred around the concept of uncertainty. This insight developed into a new analytical tradition in economics, the Post Keynesian School of economic thought that sees uncertainty and effective demand as the key analytical long term concepts for understanding how the economy evolves through time.

scholarly journals Del Toboso al Barrio de las Letras: recreaciones de Dulcinea en María Velasco y Carolina África

2020 ◽  
pp. 17-42
Author(s):  
Isabel Castells Molina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
The Real ◽  
Ideal World ◽  
Modern Novel ◽  
The Ideal

This paper aims to explore how two contemporary playwrights, Carolina África and María Velasco, address Dulcinea’s character in a collective project called A siete pasos del Quijote. For this purpose, we will analyze their respective contributions, paying special attention to the modern way in which Africa and Velasco deal with one of the most important subjects in the Cervantes’s novel: the real world and the ideal world opposition through the duality between Aldonza and Dulcinea. From an interdisciplinary approach, which includes other artistic languages such as cinema and music, we also intend to establish a creative dialogue between the two playwrights and the inventor of the modern novel as well as other authors. At the same time, we will try to show some connections between the pieces studied in this paper and the rest of both playwrights’ works

Biography and Historiography: Mutual Evidentiary and Interdisciplinary Considerations

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert I. Rotberg
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
The Real ◽  
Human Motivation ◽  
Cultural Variables ◽  
Historical Biography ◽  
Human Endeavor ◽  
Perceived Constraints

Biography is history, depends on history, and strengthens and enriches history. In turn, all history is biography. History could hardly exist without biographical insights—without the texture of human endeavor that emanates from a full appreciation of human motivation, the real or perceived constraints on human action, and exogenous influences on human behavior. Social forces are important, but they act on and through individuals. Structural and cultural variables are important, but individuals pull the levers of structure and act within or against cultural norms. The success of historical biography as a craft ultimately turns on the nature of its evidence and the interdisciplinary methodologies that it can bring to bear on its subject.

Accounting for Pleasure: Sigmund Freud, Carl Menger, and the Economically Minded Human Being

PMLA ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard T. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Sigmund Freud ◽  
Real World ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Human Being ◽  
The Real ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Carl Menger ◽  
Scarcity Of Resources

There is a surprising coherence between the human self-understanding and worldview that underpin the theoretical program of the Austrian marginalist economist Carl Menger (1840–1921), first articulated in his 1871 Grundsätze der Volkswirthschaftslehre (Principles of Economics), and Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic project. Both are grounded in a Hobbesian-Darwinian emphasis on monadic individuals guided by egoistic drives, self-interest, and a competitive struggle for individual advantage (Birken, Consuming Desire 1–39). Both, moreover, are steeped in a kind of Malthusian pessimism that invokes increasing scarcity of resources as the underlying cause of human existential anxiety and as the defining feature of human interactions with the “real” world of commodities (Riesman 3). For the Mengerian marginalist as for the Freudian psychoanalyst, the driving forces behind human life are existential need, the instinct for self-preservation and self-improvement, and the development of successful strategies for managing and satisfying needs.

scholarly journals The virtual reality of the invisible hand

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-134
Author(s):  
Emma Tieffenbach
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Real World ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Invisible Hand ◽  
The Real ◽  
Virtual Self ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
The Common ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
The Invisible

Self-centred based explanations such as invisible-hand accounts look like armchair constructions with no relevance to the real world. Whether and how they nonetheless provide an insight into social reality is a puzzling matter. Philip Pettit’s idea of self-interest virtually bearing on choices offers the prospect of a solution. In order to assess the latter we first distinguish between three variants of invisible-hand explanations, namely: a normative, an historical and a theoretical one. We then show that, while the model of virtual self-interest is a helpful gloss on each variant, it may not convincingly succeed, pace Pettit, in reconciling the economic mind with the common mind.

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