THE MORALITY OF MONEY: PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORKS AND MALTESE PROVERBIAL WISDOM / IL-MORALITÀ TAL-FLUS: BEJN DAK LI JGĦIDU L-FILOSFI U L-GĦERF TAL-POPLU MIĠBUR FIL-QWIEL

Abstract

The relationship between money and morality has long animated philosophical, sociological, and cultural inquiry. While universal frameworks analyse whether money acts as a neutral medium, a moral mirror, or a corruptive force, these dynamics are deeply embedded within specific cultural and linguistic contexts. This paper situates the ethical dimensions of wealth within the Maltese cultural context, examining how traditional proverbial wisdom articulates the moral boundaries between material ambition and virtuous credentials. Adopting a qualitative, hermeneutic approach, the study analyses a corpus of fifty-six Maltese proverbs alongside the island’s socioeconomic trajectory, tracing its transition from a British colonial naval base to a high growth neoliberal EU member state. The analysis reveals a foundational cultural dichotomy: on one side, a moral and transcendental dimension that critiques avarice, elevates honest labour, asserts the dignity of limited means, and highlights the transience of material riches; on the other, a pragmatic and glorifying dimension that acknowledges money as a vital tool for empowerment, social mobility, and survival. By integrating classical and modern philosophical perspectives, including Aristotle, Marx, Weber, Kant, Nietzsche, Arendt, Sen and Pope Francis, with local folk wisdom, this paper demonstrates how contemporary Maltese society navigates the ongoing tension between inherited ethical safeguards and modern materialist aspirations, offering a unique local synthesis of universal economic dilemmas.

Ir-relazzjoni bejn il-flus u l-moralità ilha tħeġġeġ id-dibattitu filosofiku, soċjoloġiku u kulturali. Filwaqt li l-mudelli universali janalizzaw jekk il-flus humiex mezz newtrali, inkella mera morali jew forza korrotta, iżda d-dinamika tal-argument hija fundamentalment msejsa f'kuntesti kulturali u lingwistiċi speċifiċi. Din il-kitba tinkwadra d-dimensjonijiet etiċi tal-ġid fi ħdan il-kuntest kulturali Malti, billi teżamina kif l-għerf tradizzjonali tal-qwiel jesprimi l-konfini morali bejn l-ambizzjoni materjali u l-ħajja virtuża. Permezz ta' metodoloġija kwalitattiv u ermenewtika, l-istudju janalizza korpus ta' sitta u ħamsin qawl Malti fil-kuntest tal-mixja soċjoekonomika ta’ Malta li nbidlet minn waħda dipendenti fuq il-bażi navali kolonjali Brittanika għal stat membru tal-Unjoni Ewropea li jħaddan ekonomija neoliberali b'livell għoli ta' tkabbir. L-analiżi tikxef dikotomija kulturali netta. Min-naħa waħda, il-qwiel Maltin jagħtu xhieda tad-dimensjoni morali u traxxendenti li tikkritika r-regħba, tfaħħar ix-xogħol onest, tafferma d-dinjità ta’ min hu fqir, u tenfasizza n-natura temporanja tal-ġid materjali. Min-naħa l-oħra, l-għerf tal-poplu jikxef id-dimensjoni aktar pragmatika li tirrikonoxxi l-flus bħala għodda vitali għall-kisba tal-poter, il-mobilità soċjali u s-sopravivenza. Il-qwiel Maltin huma ukoll analizzati mill-perspettivi filosofiċi klassiċi u kontemporanji, fosthom dawk ta' Aristotli, Marx, Weber, Kant, Nietzsche, Arendt, Sen u l-Papa Franġisku. Bejn il-ħsibijiet eruditi tal-għorrief u l-għerf komuni ta’ poplu żgħir, dan l-istudju jirnexxilu jispega kif is-soċjetà Maltija tinnaviga t-tensjoni kontinwa bejn żewġ kurrenti universali: il-kilba għall-ġid materjali u l-ħażna tal-ġid etiku u spiritwali.