The Ethical Inquity Concerning Economic Development

The evolving process of the views and theory of economic development, and the developing trend of combination, separation and re-combination between economics and ethics, imply that the studies concerning economic development need ethical tools and value factors, which are inherent in economic activities and development. Otherwise we can insure satisfactory answers in most economic activities?analyses. Within economic development there are general and intense ethical clashes, such as weather rational rate of economic growth exist or not, consuming more is a virtue or economizing is a virtue, and the collision between individualism and collectivism. It could be safe[y concluded that there is no rational rate of economic growth according to the complete value-tropism system, rational consumption should meet simultaneously the criterions of utility, hierarchy of needs, social regulations and environment protection, and that there is the tendency or requirement to consolidate the value views of collectivism, and to avianize the ones of individualism. It is the ends, means and consequences that embody the ethical nature of economic development, in which human gain not only positive values (such as more material comfort, more freedom, etc.), but also negative values (lack of distribution justice, deterioration of environment and split personality). To make economic development rational and sustainable, it is urgent to re-investigate the value-tropism in our economic development, and to discipline and adjust its activities and orientation with correct ethical value-tropisms. The value-tropisms of economic development should be efficiency, justice, eco-efficiency and whole-scaled development of human being, among which the last one is ultimate and absolute. They have constructed such a perfect and complete value system of economic development that anyone of them should not be neglected because the single value-tropism of economic efficiency has already misled us. We have four practical measures, which are mutually related and indispensable, to keep economic development in correct direction or to ensure that correct value-tropisms would be held: @institutionalizing the economic value-tropisms,? strengthening the economic-ethical education of individuals, ?constructing an efficient, disinterested and uncorrupted government, (~i) firmly bringing into execution the strategies of sustainable development and of thriving a nation through science and technology.