Religion and the Rise of Capitalism

Where do our ideas about how the economy works, and our views on economic policy, come from? Critics of contemporary economics complain that belief in free markets, among economists as well as many ordinary citizens, is a form of religion. The foundational transition in thinking about what we now call economics, beginning in the eighteenth century, was decisively shaped by the hotly contended lines of religious thought at that time within the English-speaking Protestant world.
Beliefs about God-given human character, about the afterlife, and about the purpose of our existence, were all under scrutiny in the world in which Adam Smith and his contemporaries lived. Even today, those long-ago religious debates go far in explaining the puzzling behavior of so many of our fellow citizens whose views about economic policies-and whose voting behavior-seems sharply at odds with what would be to their own economic benefit.
This panel featured:
Benjamin M. Friedman, the William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University. His newest book is "Religion and the Rise of Capitalism," a fundamental reassessment of the foundations of current-day economics showing how religious thinking has shaped economic thinking ever since the beginnings of modern Western economics and how this influence continues to be relevant today especially in the United States. His two other general interest books have been "The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth" and "Day of Reckoning: The Consequences of American Economic Policy Under Reagan and After." Mr. Friedman has also written and/or edited fourteen other books, and more than 150 articles in professional journals, aimed primarily at economists and economic policymakers, largely focusing on economic policy and in particular on the role of the financial markets in shaping how monetary and fiscal policies affect overall economic activity.
Michelle Sanchez, the Associate Professor of Theology at Harvard Divinity School.
Sanchez received her doctorate in the study of religion in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard. Her first book, "Calvin and the Resignification of the World: Creation, Incarnation, and the Problem of Political Theology," was released by Cambridge University Press in 2019. It closely reads Calvin's 1559 Institutes with attention to how its genre and pedagogical strategies shape its doctrinal arguments in a material context and with an eye to embodied activity. It also places the text in conversation with contemporary theorists of religion, ritual, secularization and political theology.
Devin Singh, the Associate Professor of Religion at Dartmouth College, where he teaches courses on modern religious thought in the West, philosophy of religion, and social ethics. He is also a faculty associate in Dartmouth’s Consortium of Studies in Race, Migration, and Sexuality. He is the author of "Divine Currency: The Theological Power of Money in the West" (Stanford 2018), as well as articles in journals such as Harvard Theological Review, Political Theology, and Journal of Religious Ethics, and in periodicals such as Time and The Washington Post.

[@bilalbajwa]

Great work, thank you.

[@aniltiwari2848]

Blessings to all of you.

[@MikenNinginThai]

Lmao

[@truthaboveall7988]

What’s happening at Harvard to create such fragmented economics no ethics & some of the darkest characters on world stage. It’s a shame

[@bilalhassan9199]

💐

[@jelanionigbinde58]

Your downplaying this immensely, believe that. I just see you going around in circles, not giving me a true understanding of anything. Get to the point man, did Christianity create a captilist society?

[@MikenNinginThai]

Short answer no but it is deeply rooted in capitalism, the idea of family, media, arts, schools, etc. Were all created within society to reinforces capitalism as well as patriarchy they all compliment each other to help sustain capitalism kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3S2eHp3ibych8U

[@jelanionigbinde58]

Theologians and philosophy was really the main foundation of captilist society, not per say Christianity. Because if you are aware of the great awakenings the attitudes towards that reformation was literally intuned to transforming ideologies.

[@YenkammaNe]

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT BEING A HINDU? By Francois Gautier 1) Believe in God ! - Aastik - Accepted 2) Don't believe in God ! - You're accepted as Nastik 3) You want to worship idols - please go ahead. You are a murti pujak. 4) You dont want to worship idols - no problem. You can focus on Nirguna Brahman. 5) You want to criticise something in our religion. Come forward. We are logical. Nyaya, Tarka etc. are core Hindu schools. 6) You want to accept beliefs as it is. Most welcome. Please go ahead with it. 7) You want to start your journey by reading Bhagvad Gita - Sure ! 8) You want to start your journey by reading Upanishads - Go ahead. 9) You want to start your journey by reading Purana - Be my guest. 10) You just don't like reading Puranas or other books. No problem my dear. Go by Bhakti tradition . ( bhakti- devotion) 11) You don't like idea of Bhakti ! No problem. Do your Karma. Be a karmayogi. 12) You want to enjoy life. Very good. No problem at all. This is Charvaka Philosophy. 13) You want to abstain from all the enjoyment of life & find God - jai ho ! Be a Sadhu, an ascetic ! 14) You don't like the concept of God. You believe in Nature only - Welcome. (Trees are our friends and Prakriti or nature is worthy of worship). 15) You believe in one God or Supreme Energy. Superb! Follow Advaita philosophy 16) You want a Guru. Go ahead. Receive gyaan. 17) You don't want a Guru.. Help yourself ! Meditate, Study ! 18) You believe in Female energy ! Shakti is worshipped. 19) You believe that every human being is equal. Yeah! You're awesome, come on let's celebrate Hinduism! "Vasudhaiva kutumbakam" (the world is a family) 20) You don't have time to celebrate the festival. Don't worry. One more festival is coming! There are multiple festivals every single day of the year. 21) You are a working person. Don't have time for religion. Its okay. You will still be a Hindu. 22) You like to go to temples. Devotion is loved. 23) You don't like to go to temples - no problem. You are still a Hindu! 24) You know that Hinduism ☺ is a way of life, with considerable freedom. 25) You believe that everything has God in it. So you worship your mother, father, guru, tree, River, Prani-matra, Earth, Universe! 26) And If you don't believe that everything has GOD in it - No problems. Respect your viewpoint. 27) "Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu " (May you all live happily) You represent this! You're free to choose, my dear Hindu! This is exactly the essence of Hinduism, all inclusive .. That is why it has withstood the test of time inspite of repeated onslaught both from within and outside, and assimilated every good aspects from everything . That is why it is eternal !!! There is a saying in Rigveda , the first book ever known to mankind which depicts the Hinduism philosophy in a Nutshell -" Ano bhadrah Krathavo Yanthu Vishwathah"- Let the knowledge come to us from every direction".....

[@meanscene914]

Muslims not doing so hot in a Hindu nationalist state.

[@Rex-ud2do]

@@meanscene914 It's their propaganda! They're attacking Skikhs, Muslims and Christians in India

[@renegadelaw9303]

​@@meanscene914yeah they keep slaughtering hindus every other day.

[@jasoneyrick2555]

academics are never immune to partisan politics. "Trumps economic policy's were incoherent... Biden is like FDR" lol.