The economy is a key arena in which
debates over social justice take place. Who is entitled to what-- by what
standard should economic distribution be evaluated? Who decides what
standard is to be used? How should societies be organized, and what is a
society’s responsibility toward those at the bottom of the economic
ladder? Cultural perspectives guide how societies are organized and what
values are elevated above others; this has major implications for issues of
economic justice.
As many of your projects are exploring, economic liberalism
is in question. Does free market
capitalism creates the most just society?
There are those who argue that it does (Friedman, and the Economist
article for this week), while there are also critiques of this model coming
from a variety of angles (Klein, Qutb, and Agnivesh this week).
Max Weber’s The Protestant
Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (wiki page here) posited that Protestant
Christianity had much to do with the growth of capitalism in the
West. In many ways, then, capitalism can be viewed as a culture in
and of itself. It did not emerge out of nowhere,
and is certainly bolstered by a number of ideologies that argue for individual
achievement and freedom. Capitalism
currently enjoys dominance in the global economic system, but, of course, it
comes with its own lot of issues. Occupy movements around the globe are
challenging the current economic system, and many religious and cultural voices
have sought to question the status quo, particularly as it relates to the
people who are least privileged by whatever economic system is dominant.
The assignments for this week explore these issues from a variety
of perspectives. In reading, watching
and examining these perspectives, pay close attention to how cultural values
and norms underlie some of the arguments.
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