Mark Rathbone

Love, money and madness: money in the economic philosophies of Adam Smith and Jean–Jacques Rousseau

In 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 Smiths and Rousseaus 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.

Violence, liberation and the legacy of modernity: towards a theology of peace

Since 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.

The Marikana Massacre, labour and capitalism: Towards a Ricoeurian alternative

The 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, respect https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.81.3.2263

Reframing the Tower of Babel narrative for economic justice within the South African context

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