Ethics, Politics, and Economics: Philosophical Reflections on Economic Development

In the talk given by the late Prof. Dr. Syed Hussein Alatas, delivered on 7th May 2006 under the auspices of the Malaysian Social Science Association, he broached on the subject of contemporary economic and social development from the sociological point of view. In this present essay, I continued with the said theme but this time I pursue the subject from a different perspective and range. Realizing that piecemeal approaches to the subject are unsatisfactory, I have attempted to go deeper and broader by looking at the relationship between ethics, politics and economics by way of philosophical reflection since they provide the framework and context within which the problems and issues are articulated. That is indeed a tall order and an ambitious task, but one which is necessary. Unless the issues are thought out at this fundamental level involving the philosophy of politics, economics and ethics, no satisfactory resolution will be forthcoming.