Wealth and the Global Economy: How Prosperity Devours Itself

  The Challenge of Quantifying Good The question of whether moral goodness can be meaningfully measured represents one of the most persistent and profound challenges in ethical philosophy. While the allure of quantifying moral worth appears increasingly attractive in our data-driven age, the attempt to reduce the complexities of human morality to numerical values reveals fundamental tensions between the precise demands of measurement and the inherently qualitative nature of ethical life. The Appeal and Apparent Necessity of Moral Measurement The desire to quantify good stems from both theoretical and practical motivations. From Jeremy Bentham's revolutionary utilitarian calculus to contemporary policy tools like Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs), attempts to measure moral value promise to transform ethical decision-making from subjective speculation into objective science. [1] [2] [3] Bentham's felicific calculus exemplifies this ambition, proposing seven dimensions a...

  Debunking the Myth: Financial Performance of Sustainable Funds The persistent narrative that sustainable investing requires sacrificing financial returns has become one of the most enduring myths in modern finance. This widely held belief suggests that Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing represents a trade-off between "doing good" and "doing well," where investors must accept lower returns in exchange for aligning their portfolios with their values. However, mounting evidence from academic research, industry studies, and real-world performance data fundamentally challenges this misconception, revealing that sustainable funds not only match traditional investment performance but often demonstrate superior risk-adjusted returns and enhanced downside protection. The Persistence of the Performance Myth Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the belief that sustainable investing underperforms traditional strategies remains deeply entrenc...