'Un colorito etico particolare': sul rapporto tra morale ed economia in Francesco Vito

In the first part, the essay offers a brief review of the main studies on Francesco Vito’s contribution to the debate on the relationship between ethics and economics. In the second part, it offers a summary of the main reflections that the economist of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore developed on this issue. Vito’s thought is part of a conception of human action “as a whole”, proposed in the “personalist milieu”, so he argues that every economic act has a moral implication. In addition, he emphasizes that economics, as an instrumental science, can maintain its autonomy as a discipline only if it accepts the contribution of the other sciences responsible for defining goals. Vito develops his reflections in full consonance with the Social Doctrine of the Church, setting himself as an alternative to both the position of the neo-classical schools and the Marxist approach. This is precisely why Vito’s writings are in accordance with the teachings of the post-conciliar social magisterium.