2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Studies on Henry Sidgwick's thought about the relationship between economy, politics, and morals
| Project/Area Number |
16530133
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Economic doctrine/Economic thought
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| Research Institution | Osaka University |
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Principal Investigator |
DOME Takuo Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics, Professor (70202207)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2007
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| Keywords | Sidgwick / Adam Smith / Bentham / Mill / utilitarianism / ethics / sympathy / public finance |
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| Research Abstract |
In this study, I examined the relationship between Sidgwick's ethics and his economics. I also studied his art of political economy, in particular with respect to public finance. I compared Sidgwick's views with Smith's, Bentham's, and J. S. Mill's. Consequently, the following results were obtained.
1. Two ultimate normative principles shown in Method of Ethics (1874)- namely egoism and utilitarianism - were used in Principles of Political Economy (1883). Science of political economy assumes the 'economic man' who acts on the basis of egoism, whereas art of political economy assumes the 'normal man' who acts on the basis of utilitarianism, as well as egoism.
2. In order to characterize Sidgwick's view of human nature, I compared it with Smith's view of human nature shown in The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759). Consequently, it became clarified that Sidgwick's concept of 'normal man' resembles Adam Smith's concept of 'ordinary man' who has both 'wisdom' and 'weakness' in his mind.
3. In his theory of public finance, Sidgwick neither supported a progressive income tax, nor accepted the law of diminishing marginal utility and inter-personal comparisons of utility as a policy standard. Moreover, although Sidgwick fundamentally followed J. S. Mill's ideas of tax reform, he returned to Bentham's political position, who attached more importance to the security of property than equality.
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