Ontology, Ethics and Economics

Abstract

The contributions of Amartya Sen and Cambridge Social Ontology are two important streams in the Cambridge tradition of political economy. Despite significant commonalities, the nature and limits of their convergence remain largely unexamined. Ontology, Ethics and Economics provides the first comparative analysis of these two schools of economic thought. It argues that coherence across economic, social, and ethical theorising can only be achieved when grounded on a solid ontological foundation. While Sen's work has reintroduced crucial ethical dimensions to economics, his reluctance to address ontology systematically has generated tensions that account for the wide and often contradictory interpretations and applications of his work. Offering an explicit account of social reality and its moral implications within a distinctive philosophical framework, this book shows how ontological inquiry can restore political economy's emancipatory orientation and its capacity to offer a genuine alternative to contemporary mainstream economics.