Liberating Theological Ethics from the Invisible Hand: Paul Farmer, the World’s Poor, and the Quandaries of the Fortunate

Abstract

Paul Farmer’s work and writings relentlessly centered the determinative yet rarely-mentioned role of political economy not only for shaping illness, health, and healthcare delivery, but also in shaping the narrow range of what are considered “ethical issues” by mainstream bioethics. This chapter draws on Farmer’s scholarship to detail how economics—particularly neoliberal economics–has shaped the conceptual apparatus of bioethics and, thereby, has subsequently reinforced neoliberal assumptions in healthcare and our broader social context. This analysis presses us to ask: in what ways does neoliberalism equally enthrall the disciplines of theology and theological ethics? If so, what can we do about it?