Deconstructing the Economy of Debt : Karl Marx, Jürgen Habermas, and an Ethics of Debt

AHN, Ilsup 이화여자대학교 이화인문과학원 2013 탈경계인문학 Vol.6 No.1

The great financial crisis of 2007-08 is a global showcase of how profoundly erroneous modern neoliberal capitalism can be. Given that at the core of this crisis lies the abusive economy of debt, which includes not only household debt but also corporate financial debt, this paper thematizes specifically the abuse of debt from a moral-political perspective. More specifically, by critically engaging in comparative discourse between Karl Marx and Jurgen Habermas, I develop an argument that the abusive economy of debt should be deconstructed through the reconstructive political economy of debt. To be more specific, I present two fundamental ethical principles in reconstructing the political economy of debt: the “principle of nonviolence” and the “principle of remuneration.” The “principle of nonviolation” stipulates that it becomes an unethical appropriation of the economy of debt when debt plays the abusive role of violating the fundamental human rights of the debtor by the creditor. While the “principle of nonviolation” primarily addresses the abuse of debt occurring on an interpersonal level, the “principle of remuneration” mainly focuses on the abuse of the economy of debt on an international horizon such as Southern debt crises. The second ethical principle, the “principle remuneration” stipulates that it is imperative for the North to forgive the external debt (particularly odious debts) of the South, because Southern debt crises largely originate in the political economy of the North. Through political economy of debt, we not only protect debt from its abusers but also promote the mutual good between debtors and creditors in society. Ultimately, this paper presents a moral-political solution to liberate debt from the abusive and reductive economy of debt.

Deconstructing the Economy of Debt: Karl Marx, Jürgen Habermas, and an Ethics of Debt

Ilsup AHN 이화여자대학교 이화인문과학원 2013 탈경계인문학 Vol.6 No.1

The great financial crisis of 2007-08 is a global showcase of how profoundly erroneous modern neoliberal capitalism can be. Given that at the core of this crisis lies the abusive economy of debt, which includes not only household debt but also corporate financial debt, this paper thematizes specifically the abuse of debt from a moral-political perspective. More specifically, by critically engaging in comparative discourse between Karl Marx and Jürgen Habermas, I develop an argument that the abusive economy of debt should be deconstructed through the reconstructive political economy of debt. To be more specific, I present two fundamental ethical principles in reconstructing the political economy of debt: the “principle of nonviolence” and the “principle of remuneration.” The “principle of nonviolation” stipulates that it becomes an unethical appropriation of the economy of debt when debt plays the abusive role of violating the fundamental human rights of the debtor by the creditor. While the “principle of nonviolation” primarily addresses the abuse of debt occurring on an interpersonal level, the “principle of remuneration” mainly focuses on the abuse of the economy of debt on an international horizon such as Southern debt crises. The second ethical principle, the “principle remuneration” stipulates that it is imperative for the North to forgive the external debt (particularly odious debts) of the South, because Southern debt crises largely originate in the political economy of the North. Through political economy of debt, we not only protect debt from its abusers but also promote the mutual good between debtors and creditors in society. Ultimately, this paper presents a moral-political solution to liberate debt from the abusive and reductive economy of debt.

Interreligious Cooperation to Provide Justice to Undocumented People: A Christian-Buddhist Engagement in Offering Hospitality to “Strangers”

Ilsup Ahn 이화여자대학교 이화인문과학원 2018 탈경계인문학 Vol.11 No.1

For the past several years, there has been a huge political fluctuation regarding the nation’s response to rising U.S. immigration crisis. Since Donald Trump assumed Presidential Office on January 20th, 2017, this political turmoil has gotten even more controversial. For instance, President Trump signed an executive order (“Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”) on January 27, 2017, which was then halted by a federal judge, James Robart. On March 6, 2017, Trump signed a new and improved executive order, blocking citizens of six Muslim-majority countries (Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan) from entering the U.S. for 90 days. President Trump’s executive orders on immigration also include other controversial plans such as building a border wall, deporting more people, and cracking down on sanctuary cities. The political turmoil on the legal status of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program is the most recent crisis in the U.S. in early 2018. The purpose of this paper is to engage in an interfaith dialogue and cooperation between Christianity and Buddhism concerning the current political devolvement with a view to promoting a broad-based political coalition, which I call “lifeworld politics.” I argue in this paper that Christian and Buddhist communities should appropriate the forgiveness model of hospitality when they approach the current immigration crisis out of their shared belief in the solidarity with others. The specific goal of lifeworld politics is to provide an interreligious support in the spirit of hospitality to those who have long been waiting for immigration reform.

Reforming the Social Gospel in the New Gilded Age-The Case of Extreme Economic Inequality and the Church’s Responsibility for Macroeconomic Just

Ilsup Ahn 한국기독교사회윤리학회 2024 기독교사회윤리 Vol.59 No.-

Since the late 1970s, the US has begun to adopt and practice neoliberal ideol-ogy entailing significant structural changes not only to its economy and politics, but also to its society, culture, and even religious life. As a result of this totalistic politico-economic experimentation, the world has now witnessed an unprecedented level of economic/wealth inequality between the haves and the have-nots, between the top 1 percent and the bottom 50 percent. Along with the idea of endless competition, inequality has become an undeniable trait of a neoliberal world. As economist Joseph Stiglitz rightly warned in his 2012 The Price of Inequality, the growing economic and wealth disparity poses a formidable threat to American democracy. The purpose of this paper is to explore theological solutions to the social ills of neoliberal governance of the 21st-century global economy. I especially focus on the global phenomenon of the rising economic and wealth inequality caused by neoliberal governance. In so doing, I employ a comparative historical analysis of two periods: the Gilded Age (from the 1870s to the late 1890s) and the New Gilded Age (from the late 1970s to today). These historical periods are marked by extreme economic inequality between the rich and the poor despite many characteristic differences between these two ages. Through this comparative historical analysis and critique, I will attempt to achieve two goals: first, to lay out a new ecclesial principle of justice for the church’s engagement in neoliberalism; second, to specify the church’s ecclesial roles for advancing macroeconomic justice in an age of neoliberalism. The purpose of this exploration is to help the church become a more responsible agent in meeting the challenges of the New Gilded Age.

척추의 유한 요소 해석을 위한 강성 행렬 요소의 적용

정일섭(Ilsup Chung),안면환(Myun-Whan Ahn) Korean Society for Precision Engineering 2003 한국정밀공학회지 Vol.20 No.10

Ku 대역 위성통신용 2W 급 전력증폭기 MMIC

안기범(Kiburm Ahn),이일섭(Ilsup Lee),이수민(Soomin Lee),염병렬(David B. Ryum),류근관(Keunkwan Ryu),김성찬(Sungchan Kim) 한국통신학회 2013 한국통신학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2013 No.6

An East-West Conversation on Homo Technicus and Religious Humanism - From AlphaGo to Avatar

( Myung-su Yang ),( William Schweiker ),( Ilsup Ahn ) 한국기독교사회윤리학회 2020 기독교사회윤리 Vol.46 No.-

How does technology have to do with religious humanism? Should Christian ethicists support the unlimited development of all human technologies from genetic enhancement to robotics? What should Christian faith say about technology? The purpose of this panel is to engage these issues by inviting two leading Christian ethicists from the East and the West: Dr. Myung-Su Yang from East Asia (South Korea) and Dr. William Schweiker from North America (the United States). This panel is not for a debate between two scholars; instead, it attempts to facilitate mutual learning by intentionally creating an open space where different voices are to be heard with due respect and appreciation.