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Applying Ethics to Human Action

Applying Ethics to Human Action. An overview of HAT, Marxism and Capitalism. Human Action Theory. [Ludwig von Mises ] Human action is purposeful behviour Actions- Unconscious, sub-conscious or conscious Action as preferring or choosing Action: employment of labour to meet ends.

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Applying Ethics to Human Action

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  1. Applying Ethics to Human Action An overview of HAT, Marxism and Capitalism

  2. Human Action Theory [Ludwig von Mises] • Human action is purposeful behviour • Actions- Unconscious, sub-conscious or conscious • Action as preferring or choosing • Action: employment of labour to meet ends

  3. Human Action Theory • Praxeology: happiness as outcome of actions • Man’s state of life demands change, thus action is inevitable • Means and ends as cause and effect • There is no absolute end, there are ends

  4. HAT and Social Action • Idea of social action: Human behavior in group, axiomatic to various schools of thought in economics • HAT, Smith: Man’s rational choices applied to economics • HAT states that human mind has logical structure, thus economic calculation is same for all

  5. Concepts Regarding Social Action • Laissez faire: freedom from state inervention • Positivism: • Comte- 3 stages: theological, metaphysical and positive • Durkheim: Main goal of human behavoir is rationality; social anomie • Antipositivism: Predicts social engineering; disregarding sociology as a science

  6. Theory of Marxism Historical Materialism • Man and forces of production, corresponding changes in the two • Infrastructure and superstructure • Contradiction between forces of production and relationships in production factors give new forces of production • Concept of class consciousness and class solidarity

  7. Theory of Marxism Dialectical Materialism • Building on Hegel: thesis-antithesis-synthesis; workers in production, conflict between workers and capitalists, workers overthrowing capitalists • Ideas and ideals aren’t important, material world keeps impressions of a society • Idea of material productive forces [handmill runs a society]

  8. Theory of Marxism Theory of Alienation • Entfremdung[estrangement]: means of production separating producer form the produce • Product of labour is alienation • Capitalistic society doesn’t allow man to reach his full potential

  9. Capitalism A Free Market • Natural forces of demand and supply • Equilibrium prices • Spontaneous order and Invisible hand • Economic liberalism

  10. Capitalism Max Weber • ‘The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism’: realtion between development of religion and rise in capitalism • Hinduism, Taoism, Roman Catholicism impede development • Protestantism- emphasis on hard work, religion as ethical system, accumulate capital for social investment

  11. Conflict Theory • Game Theory: set of players, their set of strategies and payoffs • Normal Game- Players act simultaneously without knowledge of others’ actions • Cooperative game: Players enforce cooperative behavior; players form coalitions • Nash Equilibrium: Each player knows equilibrium strategy of other players; take best decisions taking into account other’s decisions

  12. Conflict Theory • Prisoner’s Dilemma: Two men arrested-both need to testify for police to have enough evidence- • One betrays other- Betrayer free, other gets 1 year sentence • Both confess- Both get 3 months sentence • Both silent- Both get 1 month sentence • The two prisoners unaware of all this

  13. Conflict Theory • Prisoner’s Dilemma in Real life • Countries curbing CO2 emissions • Addiction- relapse today and tomorrow is worst outcome, no relapse ideal but relapse today constitutes an addiction free tomorrow. • Prisoner’s dilemma occurs due to lack of Social capital i.e. trust

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