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Some thinkers, most notably Thomas Carlyle, believed that some groups did not possess the intelligence or reasoning abilities  necessary to govern themselves. Therefore, other more “advanced” races should be in charge in order to ensure their wellbeing and to maximize world productivity. In opposition to this line of thinking was J.S. Mill and a long list of abolitionists who believed that Thomas Carlyle’s desire to create a ruling race to subject all “sub-human” races was a direct violation of the principle of the economic man. Mill's belief was that regardless of race or education level, people have the ability as economic actors to make the rational decisions that will maximize their own utility and thereby ensure their wellbeing.  
Some thinkers, most notably Thomas Carlyle, believed that some groups did not possess the intelligence or reasoning abilities  necessary to govern themselves. Therefore, other more “advanced” races should be in charge in order to ensure their wellbeing and to maximize world productivity. In opposition to this line of thinking was J.S. Mill and a long list of abolitionists who believed that Thomas Carlyle’s desire to create a ruling race to subject all “sub-human” races was a direct violation of the principle of the economic man. Mill's belief was that regardless of race or education level, people have the ability as economic actors to make the rational decisions that will maximize their own utility and thereby ensure their wellbeing.  


== 2. Sen on Capabilities ==
== 2. Capabilities Approach ==
In this section, we will discuss Sen's views so that the reader has an understanding of Sen's ideas before they are compared/contrasted with other thinkers.
First developed by Amartya Sen in the 1980s as part of welfare economics, capabilities describe an economic actor's ability to reach his or her determined state of wellbeing. According to the theory, this freedom can be hampered by a variety of factors, including government intervention, accessibility of education, economic situations, etc.


== 3. J.S. Mill v Sen ==
== 3. Sen on Capabilities ==
Sen developed the capabilities approach with the goal of developing a framework that could assess and measure poverty, ultimately influencing governments to introduce policy specifically designed to rectify the pinpointed issues.
 
== 4. J.S. Mill v Sen ==
[[File:JohnStuartMill.JPG|thumbnail|left|180px|J.S. Mill]]
[[File:JohnStuartMill.JPG|thumbnail|left|180px|J.S. Mill]]


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== 4. Smith v Sen ==
== 5. Smith v Sen ==
[[File:Adamsmith.jpg|thumbnail|right|180px|Adam Smith]]
[[File:Adamsmith.jpg|thumbnail|right|180px|Adam Smith]]


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== 5. Carlyle v Sen ==
== 6. Carlyle v Sen ==
[[File:Thomascarlyle.jpg|thumbnail|left|180px|Thomas Carlyle]]
[[File:Thomascarlyle.jpg|thumbnail|left|180px|Thomas Carlyle]]


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== 6. Conclusion/Wrap-up ==
== 7. Conclusion/Wrap-up ==


== 7. References ==
== 8. References ==
The Idea of Justice
The Idea of Justice
Sen, Amartya, 1933-
Sen, Amartya, 1933-
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The Secret History of the Dismal Science Series
The Secret History of the Dismal Science Series
Leavy, David M, Peace, Sandra J
Leavy, David M, Peace, Sandra J
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/capability-approach/

Revision as of 15:39, 26 April 2011

Amartya Sen

1. Introduction

Throughout the history of economics, there has existed a debate regarding the concept of the economic man (homo economicus). According to this concept, human beings are unwaveringly rational and self interested economic actors. The goal of the economic man is to maximize his or her own utility. We began the class with a debate over slavery and an economists’ opposition to slavery, based on a violation of the notion of an economic man.

Some thinkers, most notably Thomas Carlyle, believed that some groups did not possess the intelligence or reasoning abilities necessary to govern themselves. Therefore, other more “advanced” races should be in charge in order to ensure their wellbeing and to maximize world productivity. In opposition to this line of thinking was J.S. Mill and a long list of abolitionists who believed that Thomas Carlyle’s desire to create a ruling race to subject all “sub-human” races was a direct violation of the principle of the economic man. Mill's belief was that regardless of race or education level, people have the ability as economic actors to make the rational decisions that will maximize their own utility and thereby ensure their wellbeing.

2. Capabilities Approach

First developed by Amartya Sen in the 1980s as part of welfare economics, capabilities describe an economic actor's ability to reach his or her determined state of wellbeing. According to the theory, this freedom can be hampered by a variety of factors, including government intervention, accessibility of education, economic situations, etc.

3. Sen on Capabilities

Sen developed the capabilities approach with the goal of developing a framework that could assess and measure poverty, ultimately influencing governments to introduce policy specifically designed to rectify the pinpointed issues.

4. J.S. Mill v Sen

J.S. Mill










5. Smith v Sen

Adam Smith










6. Carlyle v Sen

Thomas Carlyle











7. Conclusion/Wrap-up

8. References

The Idea of Justice Sen, Amartya, 1933-

Poverty, inequality and health : an international perspective Leon, David A.

The political economy of hunger : selected essays Drèze, Jean.

On ethics and economics Sen, Amartya Kumar. Specifically on Welfare and Human choice.

The Secret History of the Dismal Science Series Leavy, David M, Peace, Sandra J

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/capability-approach/