Systems of Survival: A Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics, written by Jane Jacobs in 1992, describes two fundamental and distinct ethical systems, or syndromes as she calls them, that of the Guardian and that of Commerce. They supply direction for the conduct of human life within societies. Understanding the tension between them can help us with public policy and personal choices.
Jacobs uses the term "ethical syndrome" ra...
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Systems of Survival: A Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics, written by Jane Jacobs in 1992, describes two fundamental and distinct ethical systems, or syndromes as she calls them, that of the Guardian and that of Commerce. They supply direction for the conduct of human life within societies. Understanding the tension between them can help us with public policy and personal choices.
Jacobs uses the term "ethical syndrome" rather than "ethical system". "Syndrome" in her usage does not mean "disease" or "disorder", but merely, from its Greek roots, "set of elements that go together". She argues that each syndrome arose naturally out of different modes of human behavior, but that they can conflict and cause serious problems if not understood.
In the preface, Jacobs explains, “This book explores the morals and values that underpin viable working life. Like the other animals, we find and pick up what we can use, and appropriate territories. But unlike the other...
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