The present article provides an analytical review of contemporary philosophical and economic scholarship conducted over the past five years, with the objective of elucidating the moral prerequisites underpinning economic activity. The moral and ethical dimension of the economy, while seemingly self‑evident, is in fact intricately embedded in prevailing economic practices. In light of the increasing complexity and multifaceted nature of modern economic processes, the role of ethics as a determinant of economic development has become a subject of heightened scholarly attention. The immediate context for this inquiry comprises the moral processes currently unfolding within the global economic system – characterized by their humanitarian nonlinearity, or, alternatively, by their inherent moral complexity. A degree of convergence may be observed in the assessments and interpretations of the current moral state of the global economy advanced by such scholars as J. Sacks, J. Haskell, S. Westlake, and K. Schwab; nevertheless, notable differences persist in their respective approaches to conceptualising the conditions and semantic structures of this phenomenon. In particular, J. Sacks, operating within the framework of religious philosophy, addresses the problem of economic individualism and moral fragmentation, advocating a transition towards a societal model grounded in the collective notion of the “we”. J. Haskell and S. Westlake underscore the growing significance of the non‑material dimension of the economy. Meanwhile, K. Schwab’s conception of “stakeholder capitalism”, which emphasises the pursuit of the common good, is experiencing a renewed theoretical and practical relevance. Contemporary research in the field of moral economics, as the analysis demonstrates, opens up opportunities for an interdisciplinary understanding of the economy as a human reality. Such an approach is optimally aligned with the notion of a “we‑economy”, wherein economic agents act in a responsible manner and ground their decisions in clearly articulated moral principles.
The present article provides an analytical review of contemporary philosophical and economic scholarship conducted over the past five years, with the objective of elucidating the moral prerequisites underpinning economic activity. The moral and ethical dimension of the economy, while seemingly self‑evident, is in fact intricately embedded in prevailing economic practices. In light of the increasing complexity and multifaceted nature of modern economic processes, the role of ethics as a determinant of economic development has become a subject of heightened scholarly attention. The immediate context for this inquiry comprises the moral processes currently unfolding within the global economic system – characterized by their humanitarian nonlinearity, or, alternatively, by their inherent moral complexity. A degree of convergence may be observed in the assessments and interpretations of the current moral state of the global economy advanced by such scholars as J. Sacks, J. Haskell, S. Westlake, and K. Schwab; nevertheless, notable differences persist in their respective approaches to conceptualising the conditions and semantic structures of this phenomenon. In particular, J. Sacks, operating within the framework of religious philosophy, addresses the problem of economic individualism and moral fragmentation, advocating a transition towards a societal model grounded in the collective notion of the “we”. J. Haskell and S. Westlake underscore the growing significance of the non‑material dimension of the economy. Meanwhile, K. Schwab’s conception of “stakeholder capitalism”, which emphasises the pursuit of the common good, is experiencing a renewed theoretical and practical relevance. Contemporary research in the field of moral economics, as the analysis demonstrates, opens up opportunities for an interdisciplinary understanding of the economy as a human reality. Such an approach is optimally aligned with the notion of a “we‑economy”, wherein economic agents act in a responsible manner and ground their decisions in clearly articulated moral principles.