Religion and the Rise of Capitalism · Question
How does Religion and the Rise of Capitalism develop the theme of Conflict Between Ethics and Economics?
Answer
Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by R. H. Tawney develops Conflict Between Ethics and Economics across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
A central theme is the historical tension between traditional Christian moral teachings—which demanded fairness, charity, and restraint in economic dealings—and the relentless, often exploitative, forces of commercial expansion and market logic.
The chapter centers on the collision between traditional Christian morality and the new economic forces of the sixteenth century, as seen in debates over prices, capital, interest, and land.
The central theme of the chapter: the collision between the changed economic environment of the sixteenth century and the accepted moral and social theory inherited from the Middle Ages.
The chapter centers on the tension between Christian moral prohibitions against usury and the practical necessities of credit, trade, and government finance.
Evidence in the book
- I: The Medieval Background
The chapter centers on the collision between traditional Christian morality and the new economic forces of the sixteenth century, as seen in debates over prices, capital, interest, and land.
- The Social Organism
The central theme of the chapter: the collision between the changed economic environment of the sixteenth century and the accepted moral and social theory inherited from the Middle Ages.
- The Sin of Avarice
The chapter centers on the tension between Christian moral prohibitions against usury and the practical necessities of credit, trade, and government finance.
- III: The Ideal and the Reality
The chapter highlights the gulf between the Church's moral ideals and its practical entanglement in economic exploitation, especially regarding serfdom and land tenure.
- II: The Continental Reformers
The chapter explores how Calvin and his followers sought to reconcile religious ethics with the practical necessities of commerce and finance, moving away from the medieval suspicion of economic gain.
- II: The Economic Revolution
The text contrasts the traditional moral framework of the Middle Ages with the amoral pursuit of profit by financiers and states, exemplified by the Fuggers' dealings and the comparison to Machiavelli's Prince.
- Luther
Luther's vehement opposition to commercial capitalism and usury exemplifies the tension between traditional Christian ethics and the emerging economic individualism of the sixteenth century.
- III: Calvin
Calvin's treatment of usury exemplifies this conflict: he shifts from a rigid biblical rule to a consideration of equity and commercial common sense, accepting capital and credit as necessary while imposing ethical obligations.
