What Mutual Assistance Is, and What It Could Be in the Contemporary World

Journal of Business Ethics · 2023 · Volume 182 · Issue 4

Abstract

This paper explores the implications of a Civil Economy approach to consumer ethics, by addressing the idea that Antonio Genovesi’s (1713–1769) notion ofmutual assistancecan be understood in terms ofcollective intentionalityorteam reasoning. I try to give reasons for this idea by a careful examination of Genovesi’s conception of social life and human agency and by reading it through the lens of team reasoning. I argue that this understanding of mutual assistance may imply broad constraints over agents’ choices whenever they conflict with the good of society. Then I explore the implications of a mutual assistance approach to market ethics in a global society, where conflicting views of good and different group affiliations are possible.

Keywords

Civil economy, Team reasoning, Collective intentionality, Consumer ethics

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