ISBN 9789956727438
Pages 236
Dimensions 229 x 152 mm
Published 2012
Publisher Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon
Format Paperback

Economic Behaviour As If Others Too Had Interests

by Raymond Chegedua Tangonyire, Lawrence Kyaligonza Achal

In the instinct to survive those who are able to dominate the competition go about their activities as if others (humans and non-humans) did not matter or did not have interests. Selfishness becomes more prevalent as a people move from elementary economic systems to modern economic systems. The major reason why economic systems collapse is human selfishness. Despite all the achievements in science and technology, there are still poor people in the world and environmental cataclysms have become daily occurrences. This is because the would-be agents of development, such as Multinational Corporations and states, are largely motivated by selfishness. Unfortunately, poor economies pursue development using borrowed models formulated for selfish reasons. Needless to say, the solution to current economic and environmental challenges does not lie in abstract economic jargon or more advanced technological machinery but in taming the evil of human selfishness. This book makes a strong case for a vaccine against the virus of selfishness, namely, education for altruistic egoism.

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Reviews

“What is the nature, conditions and consequences of economic transactions? The analysis provided is profound, illuminating and refreshing. The book is a tapestry of social, psychological, political, economic, theological and ethical insights – a must read for anyone interested in the future of humanity and the world as, of course, we all should be.”

Laurenti Magesa Professor of African Theology, Jesuit School of Theology and Maryknoll Institute of African Studies of St. Mary's University, Nairobi, Kenya.

“This is an elegantly written and thought-provoking book with many lessons to draw on. The complicated link between human economic behaviour and ethics is compellingly and accessibly illustrated.”

Dr Piet Konings, Sociologist and Senior Researcher, African Studies Centre Leiden, the Netherlands

“At the time when many countries are facing deep socioeconomic crises, it is very illuminating to find a book that delves into greed and self-interest in an entirely unusual manner. Drawing from various disciplines, the authors demonstrate the motivation of human behaviour responsible for behind our current problems, and send the mind hunting for novel solutions.”

Professor Aloysius Ajab Amin, Chair of Economics Department, College of Social Sciences, KIMEP, Kazakhstan

About the Authors

Raymond Chegedua Tangonyire

Raymond Chegedua Tangonyire, SJ is doing a BA in Theology at Hekima College, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He holds a Baccalaureate degree in Philosophy from Arrupe College Jesuit School of Philosophy and Humanities, Harare, a BSc in General Agriculture from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and a diploma in Tourism and Travel Agency Management from Cambridge Tutorial College, New Jersey, England.

Lawrence Kyaligonza Achal

Lawrence Kyaligonza Achal, SJ is doing a BA in Theology at Hekima College, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He holds a Baccalaureate degree in Philosophy from Arrupe College Jesuit School of Philosophy and Humanities, Harare and a BSc in quantitative Economics from Makerere University, Kampala.

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