Religion and the Rise of Capitalism · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by R. H. Tawney.

Read with companions Book page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

Chapter 1
Dedication
A brief dedication expressing affection and gratitude to Dr. Charles Gore.
Chapter 2
Epigraph
The epigraph quotes Bishop Berkeley, emphasizing that deep contemplation of God, the human mind, and the highest good is essential for true patriotism and statesmanship, contrasting with a merely worldly success.
Chapter 3
Religion and the Rise of Capitalism
This chapter introduces the study of the relationship between religious thought and the development of capitalism, setting the stage for an analysis of how religious ideas, particularly those of the Reformation, influenced economic behavior and the rise of a capitalist spirit.
Chapter 4
I: The Medieval Background
This chapter sets the stage for the study by examining the medieval social and economic background against which the Reformation and early modern economic changes occurred. It discusses the collision between traditional Christian morality and the new economic forces of the sixteenth century, the role of the Church in enforcing social ethics, and the eventual secularization of economic thought after the Restoration. The author emphasizes that medieval social theory, derived from the Bible, Fathers, Schoolmen, and canon law, was challenged by the economic revolutions of the time, leading to a transition from a religiously grounded moral economy to the modern science of political arithmetic.
Chapter 5
The Social Organism
This chapter establishes the historical and theoretical background for the study of economic ethics in the sixteenth century. It argues that the collision between the new economic environment and the accepted social theory of the Middle Ages is central to understanding the period. The chapter examines the diversity of medieval economic life and social thought, rejecting a monolithic view of the Middle Ages. It outlines four possible attitudes of religious opinion toward economic relations: ascetic aloofness, indifferentism, agitation for reform, and a critical acceptance that seeks to spiritualize all activities. The chapter emphasizes that the first generation of reformers were not innovators in social theory but drew on the traditional moral tradition of Christendom, leading to a conflict between established doctrine and changing economic realities.

Free preview

17 more chapter companions sit beside the text in BetterReads — open a free preview to unlock the rest.

17 more companions → free preview

Dedication

Epigraph

Religion and the Rise of Capitalism

I: The Medieval Background

The Social Organism