What I am Working on Now

The following book is now in press:

From Pleasure Machines to Moral Communities:

An Evolutionary Economics without Homo Economicus

University of Chicago Press. Forthcoming 2012

In line with recent research from the evolutionary and behavioural sciences, I argue that humans are generally morally motivated as well as self-interested. Morality is much more than convenience or convention. Given the nature of morality, moral motivation is essentially incompatible with utilitarianism, preference functions and much of mainstream economics. And my suggestion is more than simply adding a 'moral dimension' because we have to understand the evolutionary origins and foundations of moral sentiments. There are heavy doses of both Charles Darwin and Adam Smith in my arguments. I also believe that we cannot understand institutions properly unless we appreciate moral motivation.

In an attempt to operationise this approach in policy terms, I link in with work on basic needs, where needs (the desirable) are distinguised from wants (the desired). Perceptions of need are often spurs for motivation, as illustrated by workers in the health service, for example. Problems such as climate change cannot be resolved by focusing on self-interest without an appeal to moral values. I conclude by sketching a general evolutionary approach to policy.

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