Drawing on the work of early modern Jesuit scholastics, in particular Leonardus Lessius, this article argues for the importance of grounding moral judgments on expert knowledge. Without adequate specialized knowledge, moral analysis of economic matters easily slips into moralism. Jesuits such as Lessius applied the tools of juridical knowledge (law) and empirical understanding of economic events (economic analysis) to make sound moral judgments concerning social and economic issues. Contemporary moralists would do well to follow their example.
Wim Decock, "Knowing before Judging: Law and Economic Analysis in Early Modern Jesuit Ethics," Journal of Markets & Morality 21, no. 2 (Fall 2018): 309330.