“Introduction: Ethics vs Economics - In Praise of the ‘Disciplined’ Life?”

The traffic between economics and ethics at the academic level these days is, if not negligible, rather thin and cordially regarded on both sides of the divide as an eccentric occupation, even when practised by respected professionals. There is a strong tradition within economics of maintaining a rigid separation between positive and normative aspects of analysis. A serious confrontation between ethics and economics invites economists to adopt a broader set of motivational assumptions within their models.