"Economics and Ethics" -- Dr. Sven Sinclair, NoVES Member

Is free market always the best? Is it immoral to place a monetary value on human life? How should society punish criminals? Being the "physics of social sciences," modern economics not only informs policy, but also helps think rationally about ethical issues. On the other hand, influential economists are often guided by their preconceived ethical values and what the public perceives as economic ideas are sometimes value judgments in disguise. Economics and ethics are more intertwined than we might like. And new research in biology of human behavior may force us to rethink some fundamental ideas in both economics and ethics.