How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics
This thesis explores the application of Confucian morality to political economy. For Confucianism, ethical considerations are essential in guiding the design and reform of political institutions and policies. This thesis focuses on moral considerations a government should heed in guiding economic ac...
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| Format: | Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2025
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182199 |
| _version_ | 1826113909053980672 |
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| author | Ng, Khai Boon |
| author2 | Andrew T. Forcehimes |
| author_facet | Andrew T. Forcehimes Ng, Khai Boon |
| author_sort | Ng, Khai Boon |
| collection | NTU |
| description | This thesis explores the application of Confucian morality to political economy. For Confucianism, ethical considerations are essential in guiding the design and reform of political institutions and policies. This thesis focuses on moral considerations a government should heed in guiding economic activities. It aims to shed light on the scope of morality by investigating the historical record of the Shihuozhi, combining with textual analyses of other dominant Confucian texts. It suggests economic productivity is the main concern of economic development. However, economic actors are not always motivated to being productive, especially when their actions have caused social and economic inequalities. To motivate economic actors, the study found that there is a narrower scope of morality which is a preparation for one to become morally cultivated with de (virtue). For Confucianism, a normative arrangement is morally better when the agents are more motivated to act according to it. It relies on the agents’ sustainability of external act to monitor if they stay on the ethical path. When there are myriad of reasons that motivate a person as well as reasons that impede a person from acting, Confucianism requires the government to provide the condition in which there is no identifiable reason for the agents not to act according to the prescribed directions of the government. This study considers that the ethics of interest should be combined with the ethics of recognition to motivate the people towards altruistic actions that benefitting the people for achieving collective prosperity. |
| first_indexed | 2025-03-09T10:58:53Z |
| format | Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy |
| id | ntu-10356/182199 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-09T10:58:53Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Nanyang Technological University |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1821992025-02-05T01:58:52Z How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics Ng, Khai Boon Andrew T. Forcehimes School of Humanities forcehimes@ntu.edu.sg Arts and Humanities Confucianism Economic ethics Economic prosperity Moral motivation Moral feelings This thesis explores the application of Confucian morality to political economy. For Confucianism, ethical considerations are essential in guiding the design and reform of political institutions and policies. This thesis focuses on moral considerations a government should heed in guiding economic activities. It aims to shed light on the scope of morality by investigating the historical record of the Shihuozhi, combining with textual analyses of other dominant Confucian texts. It suggests economic productivity is the main concern of economic development. However, economic actors are not always motivated to being productive, especially when their actions have caused social and economic inequalities. To motivate economic actors, the study found that there is a narrower scope of morality which is a preparation for one to become morally cultivated with de (virtue). For Confucianism, a normative arrangement is morally better when the agents are more motivated to act according to it. It relies on the agents’ sustainability of external act to monitor if they stay on the ethical path. When there are myriad of reasons that motivate a person as well as reasons that impede a person from acting, Confucianism requires the government to provide the condition in which there is no identifiable reason for the agents not to act according to the prescribed directions of the government. This study considers that the ethics of interest should be combined with the ethics of recognition to motivate the people towards altruistic actions that benefitting the people for achieving collective prosperity. Doctor of Philosophy 2025-01-14T08:52:10Z 2025-01-14T08:52:10Z 2023 Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy Ng, K. B. (2023). How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics. Doctoral thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182199 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182199 10.32657/10356/182199 en This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). application/pdf Nanyang Technological University |
| spellingShingle | Arts and Humanities Confucianism Economic ethics Economic prosperity Moral motivation Moral feelings Ng, Khai Boon How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics |
| title | How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics |
| title_full | How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics |
| title_fullStr | How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics |
| title_full_unstemmed | How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics |
| title_short | How to motivate the rich: a research on Confucian economic ethics |
| title_sort | how to motivate the rich a research on confucian economic ethics |
| topic | Arts and Humanities Confucianism Economic ethics Economic prosperity Moral motivation Moral feelings |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182199 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ngkhaiboon howtomotivatethericharesearchonconfucianeconomicethics |