The role of ethical consumption in promoting democratic sustainability: revisiting neoclassical economics through Kantian ethics: Revisiting neoclassical economics through Kantian ethics

If feminist ethics is to be “identified by its explicit commitment to challenging perceived male bias in ethics,” as Alison Jaggar states, then Kant's moral theory must be considered non-feminist. Indeed, many feminist philosophers have considered Kant's ethics to be anti-feminist. Some of these philosophers have noted such things as Kant's ascription, in his political theory, of all women to the class of passive citizens, and such reflections, in his writings about human nature, as “I hardly believe that the fair sex is capable of principles.” Other feminist critics have argued that Kant's ethics is scarred by male-bias at a fundamental level. For example, Sally Sedgwick has argued that Kant's conception of autonomous, rational agency, embodied in the categorical imperative's universal law tests, is inherently masculinist. Kant's ethics, however, has its feminist proponents as well. Jean Hampton endorses“ a Kantian conception of worth,” according to which “one must respect the value not only of others but also of oneself, and must therefore reject any roles, projects, or occupations which would be self-exploitative”; she develops her own “feminist form of Kantian contractarian theory” as an expression and elaboration of this Kantian notion of respect.

How to stimulate consumers to sustain and repeat green consumption is not only a realistic problem for enterprises to carry out the all-round diversified green marketing and implement the environment-friendly development strategy, but also an important research field to be urgently promoted by academia. Previous studies have drawn on the relevant theories of environmental psychology and social psychology to deeply analyze consumers’ green consumption behavior. They have taken social psychological factors and their influence mechanism as the research perspective, which has initially formed the research paradigm that takes the three levels of individual psychology, group interaction and social influence as the logical main line to decode the password of green consumption behavior and interpret the attitude-behavior gap. But the existing research basically concentrates on the pre-consumption decision-making process and influencing factors by tacitly approving green consumption behavior as consumers’ first or single consumption behavior, and seldom discusses the post-consumption process and green repeated consumption behavior. In fact, green repeated consumption behavior is significantly different from the first or single green consumption behavior, and its formation mechanism and influencing factors are not clear. Whether and how consumers’ first or previous green consumption behavior affects their green repeated consumption behavior requires further discussion of academia. According to the feedback effect principle, the feedback of the positive result evaluation of individual behavior to the individual will promote and motivate the individual, and strengthen the repetition of individual behavior. The feedback of enterprises to consumers’ post-consumption behavior will affect consumers’ evaluation of the brand and consumption behavior. The positive post-consumption feedback of enterprises can significantly improve consumers’ sense of acquisition, achievement and happiness, and provide them extra meaning beyond benefit to encourage consumers to repeat consumption behavior. In view of the above, in the field of green consumption, whether enterprises’ post-consumption feedback strategies will also form the feedback effect on consumers’ green repurchasing behavior is the main focus of this study. Based on the social exchange theory, warm-glow theory and cognition-emotion theory, this study investigates the effects of different post-consumption value feedback strategies on green repeated consumption intention and verifies the mediating role of warm-glow in the influence mechanism above and the moderating role of feedback timing in the influence mechanism above through three experiments. ExperimentⅠ demonstrates that compared with the non-value feedback, the value feedback of green consumption can significantly enhance consumers’ repeated consumption intention; furthermore, social value feedback has a more positive effect than functional value feedback. ExperimentⅡ demonstrates that warm-glow plays a mediating role in the relationship between the value feedback of green consumption and green repeated consumption intention, and social value feedback can enhance consumers’ warm-glow more than functional value feedback. ExperimentⅢ demonstrates that the mediating effect of warm-glow is moderated by feedback timing, that is, for the instant feedback, the mediation effect of warm-glow does exist, but for the delayed feedback, the mediation effect of warm-glow does not exist. This study provides a new perspective for promoting green repeated consumption, and also provides theoretical basis for enterprises to develop efficient green post-consumption marketing strategies.

The idea of the individual as autonomous, capable of understanding through the use of reason what morality requires, and capable of doing the right thing because it is right, is one of the pillars of the Enlightenment, and Kant's ethics provides a robust account of the way in which the individual's capacity for moral insight, and freedom to make choices in accordance with such insight, are indispensable for any account of an authentic commitment to the objective good. Jacqueline Mariña situates Kant's ethical and metaethical arguments in the wider context of his claims in his critical works, convincingly rebutting recent claims that he did not succeed in showing that rational agents are necessarily bound by the moral law, and that he ended up with an empty moral dogmatism. Her book shows that the whole of Kant's critical works, both theoretical and practical, were much more coherent than many interpreters allow.

Kantian deontology is one of three classic moral theories, among virtue ethics and consequentialism. Issues in medical ethics are frequently addressed within a Kantian paradigm, at least --although not exclusively--in European medical ethics. At the same time, critical voices have pointed to deficits of Kantian moral philosophy which must be examined and discussed. It is argued that taking concrete situations and complex relationships into account is of paramount importance in medical ethics. Encounters between medical or nursing staff and patients are rarely symmetrical relationships between autonomous and rational agents. Kantian ethics, the criticism reads, builds on the lofty ideal of such a relationship. In addition to the charge of an individualist and rationalist focus on autonomy, Kantian ethics has been accused of excluding those not actually in possession of these properties or of its rigorism. It is said to be focussed on laws and imperatives to an extent that it cannot appreciate the complex nuances of real conflicts. As a more detailed analysis will show, these charges are inadequate in at least some regards. This will be demonstrated by drawing on the Kantian notion of autonomy, the role of maxims and judgment and the conception of duties, as well as the role of emotions. Nevertheless the objections brought forward against Kantian moral theory can help determine, with greater precision, its strengths and shortcomings as an approach to current problems in medical ethics.

Recently, a number of people have argued that certain entities embodied by groups of agents themselves qualify as agents, with their own (analogs of) beliefs, desires, and intentions; even, some cl ...

Purpose of this study was to analyse, the extent to which political consumerism functioned in Finland as a mode of citizens’ political participation in the energy policy-making and in solving environmental problems caused by energy production and consumption. Political consumerism, that is, the consumption choices based on political, ethical, or environmental discretion, may be a substitute for conventional political participation, which is increasingly perceived as less efficient for solving societal problems. Finland and energy policy are particularly suitable venues for testing the role of political consumerism as a mode of political involvement for several reasons. For instance, popular support for political consumerism has been in Finland one of the highest by international standards together with other Nordic countries, Switzerland, and Germany, while energy has been a policy sector where citizens’ involvement is more limited than in the case of most other policy domains. The study focused on the period 2007-2016 which was characterized by the decreasing economic development and weakening legitimacy of the political system. Methodologically, the study was based on postal surveys conducted in 2007 and 2016 among a random sample representing 18 - 75-year old citizens. The findings of the study indicate that the citizenry ranked the conventional political participation (voting in elections) as well as collective modes of political consumerism (participatory political consumerism, discursive political consumerism) clearly less useful devices to influence energy policy than all individual forms of political consumerism (lifestyle politics, boycotting, boycotting). On the other hand, making use of various forms of political participation in energy policy-making accumulated for the same people. Despite the fact that political consumers were more dissatisfied with citizens’ involvement in energy policy-making than non-political consumers, they perceived voting in elections as a more useful device in influencing energy policy than non-political consumers. Moreover, the effects of prolonged recession and the election funding scandal on the endorsement of political consumerism in the context of energy policy have remained minor. This can be explained by that as the recession reduced citizens’ economic resources their consumption choices have based likely more on the economic consumerism than political consumerism that stresses more post-materialistic values. This was seen especially in that the endorsement of all devices in influencing energy policy decreased after 2007, excluding those that may provide economic benefits, such as asking for competitive tenders from electricity companies.

In this volume Paul Formosa sets out a novel approach to Kantian ethics as an ethics of dignity by focusing on the Formula of Humanity as a normative principle distinct from the Formula of Universal Law. By situating the Kantian conception of dignity within the wider literature on dignity, he develops an important distinction between status dignity, which all rational agents have, and achievement dignity, which all rational agents should aspire to. He then explores constructivist and realist views on the foundation of the dignity of rational agents, before developing a compelling account of who does and does not have status dignity and of what kind of achievement dignity or virtue we, as vulnerable rational agents, can and should strive for. His study will be highly valuable for those interested in Kant's ethical, moral and political philosophies.

This essay argues that the fact that humans are vulnerable, needy and dependent beings plays an important role in Kantian ethics. The basis of this argument is to show that the core normative focus of Kantian ethics is on the dignity that human beings have in virtue of their capacity for rational agency. This implies that the empirical conditions under which human beings can acquire, sustain, exercise, and develop their rational capacities are of core moral importance in Kantian ethics. Human vulnerabilities, including the vulnerability of human bodies, are therefore important in Kantian ethics, since rational capacities in human agents (and the bodies those rational capacities depend upon) are highly vulnerable in all persons and especially vulnerable in some sub-groups of persons.

Thanks to recent scholarship, Kant is no longer seen as the dogmatic opponent of suicide that he appears to be at first glance. However, some interpreters have recently argued for...

This study explores the ethical ideol-ogies and ethical beliefs of African American consumers using the Forsyth ethical position questionnaire (EPQ) and the Muncy-Vitell consumer ethics questionnaire (MVQ). The two dimensions of the EPQ (i.e., idealism and relativism) were the independent constructs and the four dimensions of the MVQ (i.e., illegal, active, passive and no harm) were the dependent variables. In addition, this paper explores the consumer ethics of African Americans across four demographic factors (i.e., age, education, gender, and marital status). A sample of 315 African American consumers was used to explore these relationships. Results confirmed that consumers who score high on the idealism scale are more likely to reject questionable consumer activities, but there was no relationship between relativism and consumers' rejection of questionable activities. Older, more educated and married consumers rejected questionable activities more than younger, less educated and single consumers. Gender did not have any significant relationship to consumers' ethical orientation.

Drawing inspiration from masstige theory, this study investigates the influence of consumers’ ethical orientations (idealism and relativism) and dark personality traits (narcissism and Machiavellianism) in shaping their perceptions of masstige fashion brands and, subsequently, their brand evangelism behaviors. The study further examines the mediating role of masstige perception within this framework. Using convenience sampling method, a quantitative survey of Indian fashion consumers has been conducted and 303 valid responses were collected and analyzed with PLS-SEM. The findings indicate that idealism significantly enhances masstige perception, whereas relativism has no notable effect. Furthermore, both the dark traits positively predict masstige perception and brand evangelism, with masstige perception serving as a significant mediator in all relationships except that involving relativism. This research extends knowledge on consumer ethics, masstige marketing, and personality traits by offering empirical evidence from an emerging market context and integrating psychological dispositions with brand value perceptions.

Corporate/collective moral responsibility is a thorny topic in business ethics and this paper argues that this is due a number of unacknowledged and connected epistemic issues. Firstly, CSR, Corporate Citizenship and many other research streams that are based on the assumption of collective and/or corporate moral responsibility are not compatible with Kantian ethics, consequentialism, or virtue ethics because corporate/collective responsibility violates the axioms and central hypotheses of these research programmes. Secondly, in the absence of a sound theoretical moral philosophical foundation, business ethicists have based their ideas on legal and political epistemologies, yet still claim to be ethics-based. Thirdly, research is often driven by an intention to prove that a specific social goal is right, not by open and critical inquiry. Finally, today, corporate/collective moral responsibility is widely accepted as the Truth as most researchers are unaware of any issues because they are untrained in philosophy. The paper identifies the confusion about the epistemic basis as a major impediment for delivering a thick concept of the role of corporations as moral agents. Thus, the paper does not argue against corporate or collective agency as such, but points out an obvious but forgotten paradox: corporate and collective personhood cannot, at the moment at least, be epistemologically grounded in the field in which business ethics claims to operate: moral philosophy.

Sosyal, siyasal ve etik gibi bir dizi kıstaslara dayalı olarak üreticiler ve ürünler arasında tercih yapma eylemi olan siyasal tüketicilik bu çalışmanın temel kavramını oluşturmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda çalışmanın temel amacı; Türk tüketicisinin ne derecede siyasal tüketici olduğu ve buna etki eden faktörlerin neler olduğunu belirlemektir. Araştırma çerçevesinde oluşturulan hipotezleri test etmek amacıyla TR düzey 1’de yer alan 12 istatistik bölgesinde bir anket çalışması yürütülmüştür. Anket uygulaması ile elde edilen 672 adet anketin analizlerinde temel bileşenler analizinden ve regresyon analizinden faydalanılmıştır. Bu analizleri gerçekleştirebilmek için SPSS ve STATA programları kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlara bakıldığında; siyasal tüketicilik ile gelir, eğitim, geleneksel olmayan katılım, kurumsal güven, genelleştirilmiş güven, postmateryalist değerler değişkenleri ile arasında pozitif yönlü bir ilişki, sosyalleşme değişkeni ile de negatif bir ilişki olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Diğer yandan cinsiyet, yaş, siyasi görüş ve kurumsal katılım değişkenleri ile siyasal tüketicilik arasında istatistikî olarak anlamlı bir ilişki tespit edilememiştir.

This paper analyzes Zygmunt Bauman?s understanding of ethics and morality, focusing on the role of rules and moral responsibility in modern and postmodern epochs. Starting from Kantian deontological ethics, Bauman develops a critique of the rationalistic and normative assumptions that dominate modern conceptions of ethics. Bauman presents postmodern morality as a phenomenon grounded not in universal laws but in the pre-social, immediate responsibility of the individual toward the other agent. The concept of ambivalence plays a crucial role in Bauman?s thought, reflecting the impossibility of fully normatively encompassing moral situations. The paper discusses Bauman?s rejection of Durkheimian understandings of morality and his critique of rationalism, utilitarianism, and the drive toward the universalization of moral norms. The author shows how Bauman views morality as a personal, irrational, and irreducible obligation - finally, the paper points to the potential weaknesses of Bauman?s conception of morality.

This book contains chapters on various features of Kant's moral psychology and moral theory, with particular emphasis on a conception of rational agency autonomy. The opening chapters explore different elements of Kant's views about motivation, including an account of respect for morality as the distinctive moral motive and a view of the principle of happiness as a representation of the shared structure of non-moral choice. These chapters stress the unity of Kant's moral psychology by arguing that moral and non-moral considerations motivate in essentially the same way. Several of the chapters develop an original approach to Kant's conception of autonomy that emphasizes the political metaphors found throughout Kant's writings on ethics. They argue that autonomy is best interpreted not as a psychological capacity, but as a kind of sovereignty: in claiming that moral agents have autonomy, Kant regards them as a kind of sovereign legislator with the power to give moral law through their willing. The final chapters explore some of the implications of this conception of autonomy elsewhere in Kant's moral thought, arguing that his Formula of Universal Law uses this conception of autonomy to generate substantive moral principles and exploring the connection between Kantian self-legislation and duties to oneself.