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Capitalism and Its New–Old Religion: a Civil Economy Perspective

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  • Bruni Luigino

    (Lumsa University, Rome, Italy)

Abstract

From the very beginning of civilization, economic reality and words have been intertwined with religions and vice versa. It would be enough to think at the phenomenon of sacrifice, that is, the first “language” that religions used to communicate with the divine. In the Western culture, a deep cross-fertilization between theology and oikonomia has occurred in both the Old and the New Testament. In addition, modern political and civil economy, namely the Northern and Southern European economic traditions, can be properly understood in relation to Christian religion in its Catholic and reformed humanisms. These two different spirits of capitalism have still important effects in today’s US and EU ways of understanding the nexsus between market and society. In this paper, the author explores some of the issues where these differences in spirit are more relevant (i.e., gratuitousness and meritocracy) and then concludes with some hints about the nature of a different “spirit” of capitalism, that is coming from the Catholicism.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruni Luigino, 2018. "Capitalism and Its New–Old Religion: a Civil Economy Perspective," Journal for Markets and Ethics, Sciendo, vol. 6(1), pages 121-131, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:jmaeth:v:6:y:2018:i:1:p:121-131:n:13
    DOI: 10.2478/jome-2018-0032
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert H. Frank, 2016. "Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10663.
    2. Luigino Bruni & Paul Oslington & Stefano Zamagni, 2016. "Economics and theology special issue: introduction," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 63(1), pages 1-5, March.
    3. Mitchener, Kris James & Ma, Debin, 2016. "Introduction to the special issue: a new economic history of China," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 69191, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    Cited by:

    1. Federica Nalli, 2023. "What Mutual Assistance Is, and What It Could Be in the Contemporary World," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(4), pages 1041-1053, February.

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