Poverty Removal Measures of Amartya Sen and the Smithian Dilemma

The hitherto known history of human civilization has been checkered with glorious achievements and abject injustice characterized by poverty, inequality and deprivation. The most coherent explanation of poverty and injustice is to be found in the works of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. They associa...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ratan Lal Basu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Fundación MenteClara 2020-01-01
Series:Revista Científica Arbitrada de la Fundación MenteClara
Subjects:
Online Access:https://fundacionmenteclara.org.ar/revista/index.php/RCA/article/view/115
_version_ 1818340179313688576
author Ratan Lal Basu
author_facet Ratan Lal Basu
author_sort Ratan Lal Basu
collection DOAJ
description The hitherto known history of human civilization has been checkered with glorious achievements and abject injustice characterized by poverty, inequality and deprivation. The most coherent explanation of poverty and injustice is to be found in the works of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. They associated poverty and injustice with private property, division of labour, exchange, competition, family and the State. Amartya Sen has considered pluralistic democracy as the most desirable form of government which could ensure growth with social justice along with human freedom. Although better than authoritarian forms of governing in many respects, political party based democracies are overburdened with widespread corruption based on criminal-trade union-politician alliance. Sen emphasizes the role of the mass media and awareness of the common people to break through this vicious circle and make the politicians, running the governments, work in a desirable fashion. Unfortunately this optimistic note of Sen has come up against a serious hurdle pointed out by Adam Smith long ago. According to Smith a psychosis common to most of the people, whatever be their own positions, is that they admire the powerful and the rich (whatever be the means of their achievements) instead of the really worthy ones, viz. the honest and virtuous who has failed to achieve power and wealth. This has, in fact, spelt out a gloomy prospect for the human race.
first_indexed 2024-12-13T15:38:47Z
format Article
id doaj.art-7555bded4440438e91ffffd1ddfcdd47
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2469-0783
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-13T15:38:47Z
publishDate 2020-01-01
publisher Fundación MenteClara
record_format Article
series Revista Científica Arbitrada de la Fundación MenteClara
spelling doaj.art-7555bded4440438e91ffffd1ddfcdd472022-12-21T23:39:54ZengFundación MenteClaraRevista Científica Arbitrada de la Fundación MenteClara2469-07832020-01-015010.32351/rca.v5.11567Poverty Removal Measures of Amartya Sen and the Smithian DilemmaRatan Lal Basu0Presidency College, Calcutta & University of Calcutta.The hitherto known history of human civilization has been checkered with glorious achievements and abject injustice characterized by poverty, inequality and deprivation. The most coherent explanation of poverty and injustice is to be found in the works of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. They associated poverty and injustice with private property, division of labour, exchange, competition, family and the State. Amartya Sen has considered pluralistic democracy as the most desirable form of government which could ensure growth with social justice along with human freedom. Although better than authoritarian forms of governing in many respects, political party based democracies are overburdened with widespread corruption based on criminal-trade union-politician alliance. Sen emphasizes the role of the mass media and awareness of the common people to break through this vicious circle and make the politicians, running the governments, work in a desirable fashion. Unfortunately this optimistic note of Sen has come up against a serious hurdle pointed out by Adam Smith long ago. According to Smith a psychosis common to most of the people, whatever be their own positions, is that they admire the powerful and the rich (whatever be the means of their achievements) instead of the really worthy ones, viz. the honest and virtuous who has failed to achieve power and wealth. This has, in fact, spelt out a gloomy prospect for the human race.https://fundacionmenteclara.org.ar/revista/index.php/RCA/article/view/115povertyinequalitymarxian solutionamartya sen’s solutionsmithian dilemma
spellingShingle Ratan Lal Basu
Poverty Removal Measures of Amartya Sen and the Smithian Dilemma
Revista Científica Arbitrada de la Fundación MenteClara
poverty
inequality
marxian solution
amartya sen’s solution
smithian dilemma
title Poverty Removal Measures of Amartya Sen and the Smithian Dilemma
title_full Poverty Removal Measures of Amartya Sen and the Smithian Dilemma
title_fullStr Poverty Removal Measures of Amartya Sen and the Smithian Dilemma
title_full_unstemmed Poverty Removal Measures of Amartya Sen and the Smithian Dilemma
title_short Poverty Removal Measures of Amartya Sen and the Smithian Dilemma
title_sort poverty removal measures of amartya sen and the smithian dilemma
topic poverty
inequality
marxian solution
amartya sen’s solution
smithian dilemma
url https://fundacionmenteclara.org.ar/revista/index.php/RCA/article/view/115
work_keys_str_mv AT ratanlalbasu povertyremovalmeasuresofamartyasenandthesmithiandilemma