Аннотация:Abstract
Contemporary science of economics considers itself to be primarily based on the
teachings of the 18th century moral and political philosophers. Yet, the moral aspect of
their ideas seems to have been largely neglected, which is probably no longer
affordable given the present-day developments in the economic and political life of
the civilized world. After 2008, issues connected with growing inequality have
received serious attention in the works of eminent economists in Europe and the
United States, but the rationalistic approach that goes back to Newtonian “rational
mechanics” and Bentham’s “hedonic calculus” still prevails. Similar situation arose in
Russia, where the mainstream economics obediently follows neoclassical
prescriptions while voices against the so called conventional wisdom have been
assiduously ignored. Since this moral negation found its intellectual expression in the
sphere of economic theory, it is important to understand what was taken from the
classics, what was deliberately or unintentionally omitted, and how it may be possible
to incorporate the moral aspect into the teaching of economics without provoking
adolescent reactions in the students. Hence our attempt to look closely at the works of
Adam Smith and his contemporaries, study their views on the moral and religious
aspects of human activity and find out how the influential economists of the last
century and present-day university professors and government consultants have
treated the issues of good and evil, right and wrong in their books, lectures, academic
papers and public pronouncements.
Key words: economic discourse, moral issues, teaching