Donum, exchange and common good in Aquinas: the dawn of civil economy

Paolo Santori

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2020, vol. 27, issue 2, 276-297

Abstract: This paper explores the role of gift (donum) and common good in Thomas Aquinas’ (c1225–1274) economic teachings. The result is a theory of economic agency, rooted in the concept of mutual assistance (reciprocity), under which Aquinas’ account of just price is considered. The paper also relates Aquinas’ thought to the work of the “civil economist” Antonio Genovesi (1713–1769). Genovesi’s account of the market as a place of virtue and mutual assistance is deeply connected to Thomistic anthropological and economic theses. This would classify Aquinas as a fundamental author for the tradition of civil economy.

Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:eujhet:v:27:y:2020:i:2:p:276-297

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DOI: 10.1080/09672567.2020.1720764

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