Amartya Sen

Bio: Amartya Sen is an academic researcher from Harvard University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Poverty & Human rights. The author has an hindex of 149, co-authored 689 publications receiving 141907 citations. Previous affiliations of Amartya Sen include Trinity College, Dublin & University of Chicago.

The Nature and Classes of Prescriptive Judgments

Abstract: Hare's " universal prescriptivism " provides a convenient starting point for an analysis of ethical communication.2 We shall not, however, enter into the debate on whether all value judgments are "prescriptive" or whether all of them are "universalizable "; we shall simply confine our attention to those which have these characteristics, without worrying about whether or not that leaves some types of value judgments out of consideration. One difficulty with Hare's analysis, however, is that while one gets from it a very precise analysis of classes of value terms and expressions, Hare himself says relatively little on the classes of value judgments that use these terms. So a useful first step is to suggest a system of classification of value judgments that corresponds to Hare's general classification of value words; and this will be followed by introducing two other methods of partitioning value judgments. Hare distinguishes between a "prescriptive" term, which has "prescriptive meaning ", " whether or not it has descriptive meaning ", and an " evaluative " term, which has " both kinds of meaning ".3 We shall use the classification in a more pure form than this. A value judgment is to be called " purely prescriptive " if by it the author intends to convey only an agreement to the underlying imperative, and not any factual information other than that necessary to express the imperative. The factual part consists here only of identifying the alternatives to which the imperative refers.4 For example, if I say, " Capital punishment should be abolished ", and mean 1For their comments I am grateful to Kenneth Arrow, Amit Bhaduri, Stephen Marglin, James Mirrlees and Piero Sraffa. 2R. M. Hare, The Language of Morals (Oxford, 1952), hereafter L.M.; Freedom and Reason (Oxford, 1963), hereafter F.R. 8F.R., p. 26. See also P. H. Nowell-Smith's distinction between A-words and Gwords (Ethics, Harmondsworth, 1954, pp. 70-4). 4In so far as 'ought' implies 'can' (F.R., Chapter 4), value statements involving 'ought ' or ' should ' may also be taken to make the factual assumption that the course of action recommended can in fact be chosen. ' You should choose A ' can be taken to make such an assumption; but 'You should choose A given the choice between A and B ' puts it in the hypothetical form not requiring such an assumption. 'A is better than B ' seems to conform more to the latter than to the former.

Economic Methodology: Heterogeneity and Relevance

Abstract: questions will be asked than will, in fact, be answered. The intention is to propose a broad-based critique of contemporary economic methodology starting off from the recognition of the deep-seated heterogeneity of the subject matter of economics. There is a good deal of discontent about the methods and traditions in vogue in contemporary economic theory. I shall argue that while parts of that disquiet are well grounded, they have to be separated from others that seem to take insufficient note of the particular nature of the exercises under attack. In particular, some reproaches are based on an inadequate recognition of the diversity of motivations and concerns underlying different types of economic theory. In reading the literature, I am sometimes reminded of an old story concerning two estranged brothers one a general and the other a bishop who meet after many years in a desolate railway station and find their old dislikes revived. The bishop asks the general: "Assistant Station Master, tell me when is the next train to London?" The general replies to the bishop: "Madam, in your condition, do you think it is safe to travel?" Our ability to misrepresent or misunderstand what others are up to is quite striking. As a consequence oddly inappropriate broadsides can come mixed with pertinent and penetrating criticisms. The need for sorting out is, thus, quite central. To some extent, this is what

The food problem: Theory and policy

Abstract: (1982). The food problem: Theory and policy. Third World Quarterly: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 447-459.

On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of Research on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being

Abstract: ▪ Abstract Well-being is a complex construct that concerns optimal experience and functioning. Current research on well-being has been derived from two general perspectives: the hedonic approach, which focuses on happiness and defines well-being in terms of pleasure attainment and pain avoidance; and the eudaimonic approach, which focuses on meaning and self-realization and defines well-being in terms of the degree to which a person is fully functioning. These two views have given rise to different research foci and a body of knowledge that is in some areas divergent and in others complementary. New methodological developments concerning multilevel modeling and construct comparisons are also allowing researchers to formulate new questions for the field. This review considers research from both perspectives concerning the nature of well-being, its antecedents, and its stability across time and culture.

Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices

Abstract: A doubling in global food demand projected for the next 50 years poses huge challenges for the sustainability both of food production and of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Agriculturalists are the principal managers of global useable lands and will shape, perhaps irreversibly, the surface of the Earth in the coming decades. New incentives and policies for ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services will be crucial if we are to meet the demands of improving yields without compromising environmental integrity or public health.

Dynamics of dark energy

Abstract: We review in detail a number of approaches that have been adopted to try and explain the remarkable observation of our accelerating universe. In particular we discuss the arguments for and recent progress made towards understanding the nature of dark energy. We review the observational evidence for the current accelerated expansion of the universe and present a number of dark energy models in addition to the conventional cosmological constant, paying particular attention to scalar field models such as quintessence, K-essence, tachyon, phantom and dilatonic models. The importance of cosmological scaling solutions is emphasized when studying the dynamical system of scalar fields including coupled dark energy. We study the evolution of cosmological perturbations allowing us to confront them with the observation of the Cosmic Microwave Background and Large Scale Structure and demonstrate how it is possible in principle to reconstruct the equation of state of dark energy by also using Supernovae Ia observational data. We also discuss in detail the nature of tracking solutions in cosmology, particle physics and braneworld models of dark energy, the nature of possible future singularities, the effect of higher order curvature terms to avoid a Big Rip singularity, and approaches to modifying gravity which leads to a late-time accelerated expansion without recourse to a new form of dark energy.