Philosophy & Ethics

The concept of homo economicus, a being that simply maximizes utility under constraint, is rooted in a value system that may not, in fact, be universal. Our scholars are exploring the role of philosophy in understanding and forming the underlying assumptions of the neoclassical economic model.

Keyword Search

Search Results Filters

  1. A Preface to Alessandro Roncaglia’s Essay on Adam Smith

    By Thomas Ferguson

    Jun 23, 2026

    As America marks 250 years of independence, Adam Smith is again being pressed into service as a founding myth. A deeper reading of The Wealth of Nations reveals a far richer thinker than today’s easy invocations of markets and liberty suggest.

  2. Working Paper

    Adam Smith and the Moral Foundations of Political Economy

    By Alessandro Roncaglia

    Jun 2026

    As America marks 250 years of independence, Adam Smith is again being pressed into service as a founding myth. A deeper reading of The Wealth of Nations reveals a far richer thinker than today’s easy invocations of markets and liberty suggest.

  3. What Does it Mean to Work Under Algorithmic Eyes?

    By Lynn Parramore

    Apr 21, 2026

    AI surveillance and algorithmic management threaten worker autonomy and dignity. It’s time for a rethinking of rights. Part of “AI and the Future of the American Worker,” a series on how artificial intelligence is impacting labor, power, and the meaning of work.

  4. 5 Lessons from the End of the Larry Summers Era

    By Lynn Parramore

    Dec 1, 2025

    Summers’ influence was immense, but so were his blind spots. It’s time for economics that values people and the planet over power and prestige.

  5. Fullerton’s Journey from Wall Street to Regenerative Economics

    Nov 25, 2025

    In this episode of Economics and Beyond, Rob Johnson and John Fullerton discuss his new book, Regenerative Economics which explores flaws in traditional economic thinking, and the need for a new framework that views the economy as a living system.

  6. What’s Next for Capitalism — Reinvention or Authoritarian Rule?

    By Lynn Parramore

    Jun 12, 2025

    In Capitalism and Its Critics, New Yorker writer John Cassidy brings to life the figures who warned of monopoly power, inequality, environmental peril, and authoritarianism—forces still at work today. He discusses his book with Lynn Parramore.

  7. We Owe an Apology to Adam Smith

    By Andrew Sheng and Sneha Poddar

    Jun 7, 2023

    Smith did not advocate a single-minded pursuit of profit

  8. We Need to Talk About the Original Sin of Economics

    By Lynn Parramore

    Feb 15, 2023

    How a bleak Christian theology influenced the development of the dismal science

  9. YSI 2020 Plenary: New Economic Questions

    Young Scholars Initiative Virtual Plenary

    YSI

    Plenary

    Nov 6–15, 2020

    What are the 100 most pertinent economic questions facing our global societ?

  10. Can Antitrust Law Rein in Facebook’s Data-Mining Profit Machine?

    By Dina Srinivasan

    Apr 17, 2019

    Facebook engaged in an elaborate bait and switch on user data: Privacy disappeared when competition did. Laws governing competition could change that.

  11. Why Economics Needs a Moral Dimension

    Featuring Rob Johnson and Michael Sandel

    Dec 7, 2018

    Rob Johnson and Michael Sandel discuss the limits of rational choice

  12. The Limits of the “Rational Economic Man”

    Featuring Greg Mankiw and Michael Sandel

    Nov 30, 2018

    Greg Mankiw says there should be a market for kidneys, but not for paying drug addicts to get sterilized.

  13. To Be a Good Citizen, You Need Not Be Rich

    Featuring Minouche Shafik and Michael Sandel

    Nov 23, 2018

    LSE Director Minouche Shafik says that for democracy to work, we must keep the market out of certain domains

  14. Endogenous Preferences and the Consequences of Economic Incentives

    Workshop by the YSI Behavior and Society Group

    YSI

    Workshop

    Oct 5–7, 2018

    Young scholars in the fields of behavioral and experimental economics, philosophy, and related disciplines will be given the opportunity to present their work at a workshop in New York. Samuel Bowles (Santa Fe Institute), Shaun Hargreaves Heap (King’s College London) and Mario Rizzo (New York University) will also present their work and give feedback to the young scholars.

  15. YSI @ STOREP Conference 2018

    YSI

    Conference

    Jun 28–30, 2018

    YSI is hosting sessions at the 2018 STOREP conference.