Amartya Sen

by Christopher W. Morris

Overview

Amartya Sen was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1998 “for his contributions in welfare economics.” Although his primary academic appointments have been mostly in economics, Sen is also an important and influential social theorist and philosopher. His work on social choice theory is seminal, and his writings on poverty, famine, and development, as well his contributions to moral and political philosophy, are important and influential. Sen’s views about the nature and primacy of liberty also make him a major contemporary liberal thinker. This volume of essays on aspects of Sen’s work is aimed at a broad audience of readers interested in social theory, political philosophy, ethics, public policy, welfare economics, the theory of rational choice, poverty, and development. Written by a team of well-known experts, each chapter provides an overview of Sen’s work in a particular area and a critical assessment of his contributions to the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521852913
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/21/2009
Series:	Contemporary Philosophy in Focus
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Christopher Morris is professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is author of An Essay on the Modern State and co-editor, with Arthur Ripstein, of Practical Rationality and Preference: Essays for David Gauthier.

Table of Contents

Introduction Christopher W. Morris; 1. Preference, choice, and rationality: Amartya Sen's critique of the theory of rational choice in economics Shatakshe Dhongde and Prasanta K. Pattanaik; 2. Ethics and economics Christopher W. Morris; 3. Capability and agency David Crocker and Ingrid Robeyns; 4. Freedom in the spirit of Sen Philip Pettit; 5. Social choice theory and the informational basis approach Kevin Roberts; 6. Sen on sufficiency, priority, and equality Peter Vallentyne; 7. Famine, poverty, and property rights Steven Scalet and David Schmidtz; 8. Development: a misconceived theory can kill Sabina Alkire.

Editorial Reviews

"The essays in Morris's anthology offer a clear guide to key aspects of Sen's thought. This multidisciplinary collection should be of interest to both experts and novices. The distinguished contributors distill Sen's position and influence in many fields. The essays are appetizers to further study of Sen's provocative work and the literatures to which he has been such a major contributor."
—Andrew I. Cohen, Georgia State University, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

From the Publisher