The Idea of a Moral Economy

The weather in our little part of South Gloucestershire in the good old Dis-United Kingdom has settled down to a pattern of early frosts and bright sunshine, with almost clear blue skies all day. The air quickly warms up as the day goes on and it's a pleasure to spend time down on the little allotment clearing the ground and planting out.
By mid-afternoon it's time to settle into our old deckchairs outside Nosher's shed and discuss whatever takes our interest.
'I've been thinking' I said, taking a sip of parsnip wine.
'Careful!' Nosher cut in 'that kind of thing can get you into trouble in Gordon the Moron's new Politically Correct Police State.'
'I think we're fairly safe down here on the allotment' I replied 'unless the birds listening to us are actually tiny remote-controlled spy planes.'
'Gordon the Moron's too penny-pinching to give his secret police expensive gadgets like that' Nosher remarked 'and even if they did have them, I think there's more interesting targets than a couple of old men down on their allotment. So what were you thinking about?'
'It's about what you said about there being morally inadequate people' I explained 'what children should be taught in schools, from the earliest possible opportunity, and reminded of throughout their school careers, is that society is actually a moral economy, in which each person contributes good things and bad things. A morally good society is one in which the good outweighs the bad, and a morally bad society is the opposite.'
Nosher stared at me for a moment, as if weighing up my proposal. Then he said:
'Yesterday you said that morality was a dead duck in our society - so how are you going to get people interested in the idea of a moral economy?'
'By offering them a new concept of morality which is about fundamental values that underpin a fulfilling, productive and socially-constructive life' I explained. 'Under this view, morality is not about absolute conceptions of right and wrong, but about what values support a morally healthy society in which each person has a role in supporting the moral economy, so that good outweighs bad and we can together build a better world and make ourselves into better people. Under this conception of morality, the notion of fundamental human rights is sustained by the moral value we place upon the wellbeing of each and every human being and his or her right to dignity and proper care and consideration from others and from society as a whole.'
We sat in silence for a while, listening to the birds singing in the trees. Then Nosher announced:
'Well, apart from changing the name from social ethics to morality, I can't see what difference you're making.'
'There's a big difference' I said. 'The pseudo-liberal elite who now dominate society have spent decades rubbishing the idea of morality' I said 'and substituted social ethics, in which the values promoted are presented as being culturally-neutral and at the same time largely non-challenging to all the different cultures that make up modern English society. What I'm suggesting is that liberal secular culture actually takes a stand on a set of values and a moral perspective that is not only highly distinctive, but which does challenge many specific cultural conceptions of what values characterise a good or bad person, or a good or bad society.'
Nosher listened attentively, then looked into the distance, pursed his lips, then took a sip of parsnip wine. Then he turned to look me in the eye.
'So are you saying that the idea of a moral economy demands of its participants that whatever bad they've suffered is no excuse to inflict bad things on other people?'
Sometimes Nosher really surprises me, showing more insight into such issues than Gordon the Moron and all his Assistants in Idiocy, not to mention the wishy-washy pseudo-liberal elite who have made greed, selfishness and hypocrisy so highly respectable, as well as making the most desirable status in society that of the victim-role in which an individual can make endless demands but contribute nothing to society in return.
'If we were able to convince people that what makes life worth living is not greed and selfishness, nor status, privilege, prestige or power' I said 'but instead is about being a good person and contributing good to society, and at the same time convince our leaders that they have a duty of care that transcends the duty of care they have as individuals, then we might really be on the threshold of building a morally better society, instead of the miserable mockery of a compassionate liberal secular society we endure at present, in which so many expect to take far more than they actually give.'
'Well, I don't think you'll find many converts in the City of London or in the nation's prisons' Nosher declared 'but I think your idea is worth thinking through' Nosher said 'let's talk about it some more another time.'
And so we sat back in our old deckchairs and enjoyed the warm sunshine, and sipped Nosher's excellent parsnip wine, and the world seemed a better place already.
More from www.overthegardenfence.blogspot.com soon.
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