The Line Between Economics and Ethics

The emphasis of nonviolent economics switches from income distribution to challenging inquiries about what values are and how they could be assessed. Going beyond requests for tighter control of multinational firms, this entails exploring the rationale behind why money is the only form of store of value.

In addressing non-violent economy Mahatma Gandhi says that:

1. "I must confess that I do not draw a sharp or any distinction between economics and ethics. Economics that hurt the moral well-being of an individual or a nation are immoral and, therefore, sinful. Thus the economics that permit one country to prey upon another are immoral. It is sinful to buy and use articles made by sweated labor." (YI, 13-10-1921, p. 325)

2. "The economics that disregard moral and sentimental considerations are like wax works that, being life-like, still lack the life of the living flesh. At every crucial moment thus new-fangled economic laws have broken down in practice. And nations or individuals who accept them as guiding maxims must perish". (YI, 27-10-1921, p. 344)

3. "That economics is untrue which ignores or disregards moral values. The extension of the law of non-violence in the domain of economics means nothing less than the introduction of moral values as a factor to be considered in regulating international commerce. " (YI, 26-10-1924, p.421)