Like many of the economists of the golden age that preceded my generation, my interest in economics was grounded in social awareness.It troubles me to see my fellow economists separate the analytical from the economic and the economic from the political and social. This essay is grounded that concern. It suggests that, at its root, the problem is an ethical one. The essay indicates that, like many problems involving a deterioration of sensitivity, the solution lies in the elevation of individual consciousness. The essay begins by adducing some of the ethical questions that surround the activities of economists in legal and political policy advising spheres. It then posits that the technique worshiping research methods and materialistic world view of modern economists may be barriers to ethical awareness. It concludes with the suggestion that as these perspectives are replaced with one of service, ethical awareness can infuse the work of economists.
