"Where there is politics or economics, there is no morality"

Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel’s assertion, “Where there is politics or economics, there is no morality,” reveals a profound skepticism about the ethical fabric underlying public and material spheres. Morality, fundamentally concerned with what is right and just, is portrayed as incompatible with systems often driven by power or material gain. Politics, by nature, revolves around the dynamics of influence, agenda-setting, and often the necessity to make compromises to secure support. Decisions are frequently made based not on an objective ethical code, but on the calculation of benefit, expedience, or the interests of a particular group. In such an environment, morality may end up subordinate, sacrificed to achieve consensus or victory.

Economics, as Schlegel points out, likewise operates on principles often focused on utility, profit, and efficiency. Markets reward competition and self-interest, not necessarily honesty or altruism. The drive for wealth accumulation or economic advantage can encourage behaviors incongruent with a steadfast moral framework. Even ideologies that intend to create equitable systems must traverse the reality of scarcity, risk, and conflicting priorities, which often renders moral absolutes impractical or even obstructive.

Schlegel’s statement may also function as a warning: that engagement in either of these domains requires vigilance against self-deception and ethical complacency. The very structures by which societies are governed and resources are distributed can dilute or circumvent individual conscience. Actors may convince themselves that the nature of the game requires behavior differing from their personal ethical standards.

Nonetheless, the assertion is not an inevitable truth but rather a diagnosis of prevailing tendencies. While politics and economics have the potential to corrupt, they also provide platforms where ethical principles might be asserted and realized, though always amid the friction of competing interests. Schlegel thus provokes reflection on the vulnerability of moral values to erosion when subjected to the unyielding pressures of collective power and material pursuit.