At first sight, economic relations have nothing to do with morals. However, while economics claims to be a science, in other science disciplines, the question of morality would never arise (we do not ask if the physics of particles is moral or not, or if the composition of a particular molecule obeys ethical principles...). The present analysis is largely based on the writings of Bernard Mandeville who drew attention to the ambiguous relationship between vice and virtue. We argued that economic relations have nothing to do with morals. However, the paradox is that the economy cannot function without a certain form of morality. The economy is made up of individuals who are moral beings endowed with the ability to distinguish between good and bad. The generalised practice of vice, as rehabilitated by Mandeville, obviously has its limitations. The search for personal satisfaction is restrained by the need to take other people into consideration. While the economy and capitalism may be amoral, individuals are not.
