Abstract
Marx, not Weber, best grasps the subjectivism of modern moral theory through his critical reflection on capitalism. Positivism, egoism, and emotivism promote nihilism by undermining confidence in the goods of the world. Utilitarian and Kantian theories foster skepticism by factoring out the subjective from the objective and relegating values to the purely subjective. Moneymaking shapes institutions, hollows out ethical culture, and levels the multitude of goods to one. Utility mimics everyday life under capitalism, where nearly everything has a price, and persons invest in actions that promise the best return. Kant’s dualisms share with economics a view of human action as capable of being factored out from its object as the sole source of value. Concepts that are purely subjective cannot represent the world. They engender skepticism. Some aspects of capitalism resist nihilism: not everything has a price. Buyers and sellers are persons, and persons are not for sale.