This paper discusses the philosophical origin of social enterprises, the causes of the division across Europe and the U.S., and their current developments. It reviews these issues from the angle of economic thoughts since the ancient Greek era, which includes the formation of capitalism and the legacy accumulated through the past two thousand years associated with the political landscapes of two continents. It expects to provide a thorough reason for the diverse developments, strengthen the connections between causes and effects, and shed light on the deduction of understanding in economic and political thoughts. Lastly, this paper follows the logic above to examine the development of social enterprises in Taiwan and look into the future by taking the political, social and natural backgrounds into account.