ABSTRACT

Drawing on recent work in the contemporary philosophy of economics, this book presents new ideas on liberalism, including the concept of ‘growth-oriented liberalism’.

Since the end of the Cold War, questions and definitions of liberalism have moved from the sphere of political systems (the socialism versus liberalism debates) to the sphere of ethics (what it means to live in a liberal society). The chapters in this work trace the trajectory of the concept of liberalism in the philosophy of economics by exploring the ideological implications of the methodological debate between socialism and liberalism, the idea of liberty as real freedom, the ethical implications of Max Weber’s methodology on autonomy and liberty, and new typological theories of ideologies in the context of contemporary economic ethics.

This book marks a significant contribution to the literature on liberalism in the philosophy of economics and economic methodology, and is highly recommended for readers who seek updated ideas on liberal society in its ethical and philosophical contexts.

chapter |8 pages

Introduction

part I|34 pages

Liberalism

chapter 1|18 pages

A Theory of Real Freedom

Toward a Growth-Oriented Liberalism

chapter 3|5 pages

On Spontanietism

part II|77 pages

Philosophy of Economics, Part One

chapter 5|25 pages

A Theory of Methodology in the Social Sciences

A Functional Analysis

chapter 6|16 pages

Social Sciences and the Idea of “Subject”

A Fundamental Issue on Max Weber Studies in Japan

chapter 7|18 pages

On the “Problem Subject”

part III|61 pages

Philosophy of Economics, Part Two

chapter 8|17 pages

Ideological Categories in Economic Ethics

chapter 10|18 pages

Modernity, Postmodernity, and Lost-Modernity

On the Ethical Driving Forces of Capitalism