Description
Book SynopsisIn Reviving the Love for Economic Justice, Roshnee Ossewaarde-Lowtoo argues that the options for organizing economies are not limited to individualistic capitalism and collectivistic communism because the democratic commitment to human dignity requires the transcendence of the materialistic premises of both politico-economic arrangements. She therefore shifts the conversation to the more fundamental level of conflicting values and ideals, showing that the cultural and political failure to bring about humane economies can largely be blamed on the cultural preference for utility and wealth over justice and civic friendship. Ossewaarde-Lowtoo explores ways in which such cultural prejudice could be overcome so that the notion that humans are intrinsically related to each other and hence responsible for each other could gain ground. She argues that it is legitimate and realistic to hold out hope that both economies and markets can be subordinated to the higher goals of civic friendship and justice because human experience reveals love as the telos of human existence.
Trade ReviewThe defining challenge for the future of capitalism is the commitment to human dignity. This enjoyable book offers a clear structure for the basic notion of “why moral markets matter.” In Reviving the Love for Economic Justice, Roshnee Ossewaarde-Lowtoo explores in detail the interaction among conflicting values and ideals, and love as the telos of human existence and an economy based on connectedness.
-- Harry Commandeur, Erasmus University Rotterdam
We all know that the pursuit of wealth cannot be the overriding purpose of a balanced society. But how do we overcome that temptation, especially when it is deeply ingrained in a culture? In Reviving the Love for Economic Justice, Roshnee Ossewaarde-Lowtoo addresses this question and proposes ways to surmount the cultural obstacles to justice and civic friendship.
-- Paul van Geest, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tilburg University
In modern discussions, justice is generally treated as a virtue of laws or institutions. Roshnee Ossewaarde-Lowtoo disagrees. Drawing on both classical and Christian sources, she makes an eloquent case for thinking of justice as a personal virtue, inseparable from civic friendship and love. This book will be compelling reading for all those interested in the ethical framework of economic life.
-- Edward Skidelsky, University of Exeter
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1 From the Struggle for Existence to Communion
Chapter 2 The Primacy of Love
Chapter 3 Justice Begins with Oneself
Chapter 4 Reconciling Utility and Justice
Chapter 5 Coping with Existential Insecurity
Epilogue: The Value of Literary Utopias
