Rethinking Economic Rationality and Moral Normativity: The Emergence of Homo Ethico-economicus

Repenser rationalité économique et normativité morale: L'émergence de l'Homo Ethico-oeconomicus

Nesrine Zaidi ()
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Nesrine Zaidi: ISSHT - Institut supérieur des sciences humaines de Tunis El Manar

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Abstract: This article proposes a reflexive approach to the preconception of a broader economic rationality, capable of recognizing the plurality of economic motivations and the density of normative interactions in the competitive market. This conceptualization of economic rationality, now embedded in a normatively structured organizational framework, paves the way for the progressive constitution of an "ethico-economicus" whose purely calculating rationality incorporates new ethical considerations sensitive to the moral demands of economic action. The emergence of the "ethico-economicus" is positioned as an alternative whose main objective is to move beyond the traditional concept of the "economicus," detached from their social environment and focused exclusively on the expansion of their individual gain. In this perspective, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen highlights the need to steer economic behaviors and rituals in the purely competitive market toward the common good and ethics, emphasizing the important role of the social responsibility of the various interdependent actors in the market. This perspective highlights the possibility of establishing a sustainable economy where decisions are not only impacted by efficiency or profitability, but also by moral and ethically inclusive concerns.

Keywords: Rationalité; Adam Smith; Homo-EthicoEconomicus; homo-moralis; capabilities approach Homo economicus; welfare state; Amartya Sen; CSR; Bernard Mandeville; Homo economicus homo moralis Homo Ethico Economicus Bernard Mandeville Adam Smith Amartya Sen Rationality CSR welfare state capabilities approach Homo economicus homo-moralis Homo-EthicoEconomicus Bernard Mandeville Adam Smith Amartya Sen Rationalité RSE état providence approche par les capabilités; état providence; approche par les capabilités; Homo Ethico Economicus; homo moralis; Homo economicus; Rationality; RSE; Responsabilité sociale de l'entreprise RSE (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-04-06
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