Title: Economic discourse and global empathy: the philosophical foundations of green and ecological paradigms in economics

Authors: Hans-Günter Wagner

Addresses: University of Dual Education, Schloßberg 1, 08523 Plauen, Germany

Abstract: As a branch of modern economics, green economics uses scientific methods to provide social and ecological recommendations. The roots of green economics can be traced back to ancient, non-reductionist conceptions of economic action, ranging from Aristotelian economics and the economic teachings of Asian religions to the school of the physiocrats and other approaches beyond the mainstream. In many ways, green economics can be seen as a continuation and further development of a historical understanding of the economy as a part of a whole. This is very different from the neoclassical tradition, which regards the economy as a system with its own rationality - that is, only based on the narrow framework of successful and efficient performance in markets. By comparing conflicting paradigms, the conclusion is drawn that there is a need for a redefinition of received views in an age of ecological destruction.

Keywords: green economics; ecological economics; economic ethics; normative basis of economics; axioms of economics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGE.2025.146428

International Journal of Green Economics, 2025 Vol.19 No.1, pp.1 - 20

Accepted: 17 Jun 2024
Published online: 29 May 2025 *

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