Virtue and responsibility: Economic-ethical perspectives in the work of Etienne de Villiers

Piet J Naude

doi:10.4102/ve.v33i2.737

Abstract

This article was developed in six statements and attempted to reconstruct the basis for the�socio-economic ethics of Etienne de Villiers, as well as its ecclesio-centric nature and theoretical�formulation in virtue and responsibility ethics. There was reference to De Villiers�s shift from�an exclusive to an inclusive ethical view as a response to his interpretation of modernity and�secularism. Critical questions were raised as to the actual theological character of his ethics�and his re- interpretation of Weberian responsibility ethics. The article concluded with an�appreciative view on the applied ethics perspectives developed by De Villiers over the last�three decades.

Highlights

This article aims at outlining the economic-ethical dimension of Etienne de Villiers’s oeuvre
The first four statements deal with his confessional basis in the Reformed tradition, the institutional form related to the visible church, the core theoretical aspects from which his thoughts are drawn, as well as his perennial struggle with the question of the uniqueness of a Christian morality is outlined
This exposition forms the basis for the two last statements where critical questions about the theological character of De Villiers’s work, and the unique contributions he made in many areas of ethics, notably economic ethics, are expounded

Summary

Introduction

This article aims at outlining the economic-ethical dimension of Etienne de Villiers’s oeuvre. The first four statements deal with his confessional basis in the Reformed tradition, the institutional form related to the visible church, the core theoretical aspects from which his thoughts are drawn, as well as his perennial struggle with the question of the uniqueness of a Christian morality is outlined. This exposition forms the basis for the two last statements where critical questions about the theological character of De Villiers’s work, and the unique contributions he made in many areas of ethics, notably economic ethics, are expounded. It was the pietistic tendency that ‘often resulted in an almost exclusive concentration on religious matters and an uncritical acceptance of unjust political policies’ (De Villiers 2001a:17)

Objectives

Conclusion