‘Systems of values’, ‘ethical systems’, and sustainability. The economic social ‘entity’ values

Abstract

The paper aimsto explore the relationships between ‘ethical systems’ and ‘systems of values’, offeringalso semantic and epistemological issues from which ethics cannot be divorced. Although ethics is a branch ofphilosophy that has its roots in ancient Greece, it experienced a remarkable revival in recent decades not only inphilosophy but also in the social and applied sciences. And this deserves wider recognition and appreciation. Aconsiderable amount of ethical thinking can be found in the current and previous literature of economiaaziendale, entity economics, general economics, management, and social philosophy. Ethical principles arecoextensive with principles of rational behavior and all ethics are contextual in the sense that surroundingcircumstances, environmental conditions and situations are involved.The reference to science and mathematics for ethical arguments partially depends on methodology based on apostulated outside ‘natural world’ with statistical relative uniformities. Behavioral economists and managementscientists prefer, as primitive foundations, scientific methods with their observations and prediction of economicand sociological relative regularities. The ‘received view’ that language itself conditions all aspects of realityincludes now the topic that persuasion and rational arguments can support ‘ethical systems’.Realization of common welfare is a prerequisite for establishing a ‘master values system’ and for meeting the‘specifics’ which compose ethical principles. The historical research and anthropological analysis are necessaryfor constructing suitable ‘system of values’ for every entity, economic and not.The coordination of specific ‘systems of values’ and directives is a necessary condition for social welfare.Consequently, any society must compose every kind of conflicting ‘values systems’ and ends into a coherentframework. Neoclassic economics traditionally neglected ‘environmental and social issues’. Different variationsof environmental ethics have been developed; beyond many questions, there are the issues of cause and remedyof the global as well as local ecological crisis. To-day, in times of crisis and pandemia the market paradigm isexhausted, it does not meet the ‘ethics of reciprocity’. In socialist economics exchanging goods at their ‘sociallynecessary labor cost’ would operate as a satisfactory surrogate. Also, entity economics does not completelyescape the labor value identification of classical economics.