Rich and the Poor

Philip Kitcher is the John Dewey Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Columbia University.

“The Rich and the Poor argues that neoliberalism, among its other sins, has brought an ‘erosion of kindness.’ Kitcher proposes a program of ‘ethical enquiry’ that will restore ethics to policy, and that will bring an end to poverty, just as ethical enquiry once brought an end to slavery. A passionate and persuasive book.”Professor Sir Angus Deaton, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, Princeton University"It was once common to hold that we have a moral obligation to take from the rich to help the poor. Philip Kitcher’s latest book explains how that assumption has been replaced by a supposedly neutral attention to economic efficiency. Far from being neutral, this focus actually reveres cheap consumer products as the highest good. Against those who call themselves political realists, Kitcher argues for a return to moral idealism. With clarity and compassion, The Rich and the Poor shows how we might return ethical deliberation to political economy. This book should be read far and wide by anyone who cares about politics, economics, or morality; its message could hardly be more timely.”Susan Neiman, Director of the Einstein Forum, Potsdam, and author of Left Is Not Woke "A powerful call for pursuing an idealistic, hopeful path towards moral progress and social justice."Kai Spiekermann, Department of Government, London School of Economics “A courageous act of philosophical defiance, The Rich and the Poor asks that we reinsert ethics into politics and rethink science policy in a way that is accurate to the science and painstakingly aware of the complex interplay among economics, politics, and democratic institutions.” Los Angeles Review of Books"Kitcher's method of ethical inquiry is a promising idea for addressing problems of inequality in the world. If it were applied widely and consistently today, it would certainly produce better results than the status quo."Populism

• By Way of a Preface 1 The Erosion of Kindness2 Rethinking Aid3 Ethical Inquiry4 The World is Out of Joint5 Nothing to be Done? NotesIndex