Download This PaperThe Relational Economy: A Buddhist and Feminist Analysis
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION: ABUDDHIST APPROACH, pp. 21-33, Laszlo Zsolnai, ED., Dordrecht: Springer, 2011
Global Development and Enviroment Institute Working Paper No. 10-03
20 Pages Posted: 5 Jun 2010 Last revised: 19 Nov 2011
Date Written: May 1, 2010
Abstract
Writings on the topic of Buddhism and economics seem to be characterized by two very different attitudes towards economic life. The first, drawing from historical Buddhist teachings in primarily pre-industrial contexts, takes a largely positive view of commerce. The second, in which a modern influence is considerably more apparent, is suspicious of economics at a "systemic" level, and takes an antagonistic stance towards contemporary corporations and markets. This essay argues that the latter view is based on an unhelpful assimilation of a modern Western belief - the belief that economic systems are non-relational - and proposes a richer understanding.
Keywords: economy, Buddhism, feminism, ethics
JEL Classification: A13 ,B00
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation