Homo economicus has divine aspirations and ignores the limits set to human existence. In a seminar at EETI, professor Gordon Menzies from Sidney explained his vision of a Christian anthropology, in which he drew attention to human boundaries and economic ethics.
The economic idea of preferences does not address the ethical side of human choices. The implicit conclusion, Menzies argues, is that the Good equals what one thinks best. This disenchants every meaningful form of ethics.
Moreover, economic thought implies that more choice is better - that boundaries are restrictive and an annoyance. However, this perspective leads to greed and scarcity; the realization of abundance and gratitude is only possible with the acknowledgment of life's limitations.
In a reaction prof. Kees van der Kooi stated that God knows no boundaries in his simplicity. However, in the creation of the world and in the incarnation of Jesus, He commits Himself to the limits He has set to the earthly existence. The presence of others sets limits for us, requiring withdrawal rather than expansion.
Bas van Os then responded with a discourse in which he emphasized the importance of values for choices. A broad-oriented economy can only see choices in the right light if values provide guidance, he argued.
