Transformation of Social Ethics

The work details the evolution of social ethics from a medieval 'social organism' model, based on mutual obligation and a just price, to a modern system where economic expediency and the protection of property became the primary criteria for social policy.

The chapter traces the shift from a religiously grounded moral economy to the secular science of political arithmetic, marking a transformation in social ethics.

The chapter discusses how religious and moral doctrines had to be modified as the new economic environment became established, leading to a transformation of social ethics.

The evolution from strict just-price doctrine to St. Antonino's probabilistic approach illustrates a gradual shift in ethical reasoning about economic life.

The chapter discusses the shift from a medieval spiritual view of society to a more economic and secular approach, with the Church's moral framework breaking down in the sixteenth century.