Religion and the rise of capitalism

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

71223

Title

Religion and the rise of capitalism

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

R. H. Tawney traces the evolution of religious thought regarding social and economic issues from the medieval era to the early eighteenth century. This historical study examines how the Reformation and the rise of capitalism transformed ethical doctrines, shifting from communal obligations to individualism and the sanctification of business.

Summary up to 500 words

In *Religion and the Rise of Capitalism*, R. H. Tawney investigates the profound transformation of social ethics that facilitated the emergence of modern capitalism. The work chronicles the shift from a medieval worldview, where the Church served as the ultimate moral authority, to a modern secular order. Tawney argues that the Reformation fundamentally altered Church-State relations, allowing the State to utilize religion to sanction new social policies. During the Tudor era, the government adopted a paternalistic approach, prioritizing stability over progress. Through extensive controls on wages, prices, and trade, the State sought to protect the peasantry against the disruptive forces of early capitalist expansion. This period reflected a conservative reconstruction where secular and spiritual interests remained intertwined, with the Crown absorbing ecclesiastical authority to maintain 'good order.' The narrative then examines the Puritan movement, which inadvertently fostered economic individualism. By emphasizing individual responsibility and private duty, Puritanism shifted focus away from broad social obligations. This ideological shift is vividly illustrated in the changing attitudes toward enclosures and poverty. Initially condemned by religious teachers as immoral depopulation, these practices were later redefined by ministers like Richard Baxter as morally beneficial if conducted by pious masters who could instill discipline among employees. Consequently, the pursuit of economic self-interest became identified with God's providential plan. Tawney documents the decline of the concept of property as a public function, replaced by John Locke's view of property as a natural right anterior to the State. This theoretical change had profound practical reactions on agrarian policy; preventing enclosure, once a course commending itself to all public-spirited persons, became discredited as the program of radicals. The book concludes that the ethical groundwork for capitalism was laid when the pursuit of private advantage was sanctified as a divine operation, effectively creating the 'economic man' and merging the good Christian with the capitalist entrepreneur.

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Categories

• Religion
• History
• Economics