THE CRUEL CHOICE: A New Concept in the Theory of Development

by Denis Goulet ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 13, 1971

In this Center for Democratic Studies essay, Goulet ponders whether ethics can play a role in development strategies. Is the choice among plans an ethical one or merely a pragmatic political-economic decision? ""Ethical dilemmas arise only because revolutions can be good as well as bad""; and, noting the ""alienation of abundance"" and the ""science without wisdom"" of the developed countries, Goulet asks whether development per se can be an unmitigated good. This chestnut of a paradox -- valid only if one posits development as a cure-all to begin with -- is followed by the special case of socialist nations, where Goulet is vexed by uncertainty as to whether Marx had ""an ethical system."" The interrelations of ex-colony to former mother country and the reversal of slave and master roles during a victorious revolution receive, instead of analysis, the designation of ""dialectics."" Beneath the semantic sludge and the incrustation of secondary references, Goulet says little about the basic economic situation of the poor sectors, simply voicing the truism that underdeveloped countries are highly vulnerable to world-market forces; he also gives scant notice to their political problems, tries to use a study of gypsies as a development paradigm, proclaims that England, for example, was not guilty in keeping India backward, and concludes with the perception that ""All progress is fundamentally ambiguous."" A serious practitioner of ethics must weigh stakes and make hard judgments; not only has Goulet not done so, he fails to put the reader in a better position to try for himself.

Pub Date: May 13, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION