Humans as Moral Beings

Mainstream economic discussions adopt perspectives on economic development with theoretical pillars in the form of neo-liberalism and instrumental rationality. It is therefore refreshing to read the intervention by Professor Mohd Hazim Shah. His paper draws on the tradition of seeing economic development as part and parcel of societal development. It is a tradition dating back to as early as the days of Plato and Aristotle, i.e. 2,300 years ago. This tradition is very much alive today in the works of Amartya Sen (as Mohd Hazim rightly points out) and Jeffery Sachs, and as every Malaysian would be proud to note, in the works of Syed Hussein Alatas, Ishak Shari, Syed Husin Ali, K S Jomo and Abdul Rahman Embong. Unfortunately, such voice of social conscience and wisdom does not enjoy the central stage in economic discourse. Mohd Hazim should therefore be congratulated for holding high the torch in the long marathon to justice, human dignity and happiness. His piece should be included in a reader of critical papers and articles in undergraduate course of economics.