"How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success"

[Petr]

Our ol' pal Rodney Stark, today's leading sociologist historian of religions, has written a new book:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/25/RVGDDG9CUE1.DTL


The Christian roots of capitalism

Reviewed by Jean E. Barker

Sunday, December 25, 2005


The Victory of Reason - How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success

By Rodney Stark

RANDOM HOUSE; 304 Pages; $25.95

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Fans of Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" may be waiting eagerly for the next volley in the debate of why parts of the world achieved technological, political and economic dominance, but it's unlikely that Rodney Stark's new addition to the discussion will attract the same readers. The provocative title alone, "The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success," will probably draw reactions along current ideological lines, with religious conservatives nodding approvingly and secular liberals choking apoplectically.

But the provocation doesn't end at the title. Stark, formerly professor of sociology and comparative religion at the University of Washington for more than 30 years, now at Baylor, amasses considerable evidence in support of his theory and isn't afraid to speak his mind. While Diamond examined geographical and environmental factors leading to Western hegemony, Stark argues that ideas trump geography, in particular that Christianity's emphasis on reason was key to the development of Europe.

Stark defines his terms carefully and contends that hypotheses such as geography and technology "are part of what needs to be explained: why did Europeans excel at metallurgy, shipbuilding, or farming? The most convincing answer to these questions attributes Western dominance to the rise of capitalism, which also took place only in Europe." He traces the origins of capitalism to the belief in reason, which he in turn locates uniquely in Christian theology: "While the other world religions emphasized mystery and intuition, Christianity alone embraced reason and logic as the primary guide to religious truth."

Two of Stark's previous books ("One True God" and "For the Glory of God") took a sociological look at the historical consequences of monotheism, contending that beliefs may be more significant drivers of history than material factors. Here Stark extends his thesis to Christianity's specific impacts: the theology of such giants as Augustine and Aquinas reflected faith in progress and reason, which in turn led to ideas of individualism, moral equality and human rights, as well as technological development.

Stark then explores the growth of capitalism from northern Italy to Flanders, Amsterdam and England, and presents case studies of early France and Spain where capitalism didn't take strong root. Along the way Stark finds no evidence for Weber's idea that Protestantism was essential to the growth of capitalism. He maintains that capitalism began under Catholicism, in the rational management of medieval monastic estates, and flourished in Italy long before Luther nailed his theses to a church door. Finally, Stark tests his theories against New World history, covering well-worn ground on the political and economic differences between North and Latin Americas.

This book presents some interesting material, such as the medieval inventions -- including water and windmills, horse collars, mechanical clocks and chimneys -- that significantly improved the material welfare of European peoples. However, many readers may be reluctant to take the next step with Stark, that "these remarkable developments can be traced to the unique Christian conviction that progress was a God-given obligation, entailed in the gift of reason." Subjects like Italian city governance and French taxation are explored in eye-glazing detail. Stark is at his strongest when he returns to his roots in the sociology of religion, such as his discussion of "religious economies" and why a state-supported monopoly religion leads to less vigorous participation than religious pluralism.

While Stark ostensibly keeps his political and religious convictions to himself, "The Victory of Reason" emerges as a conservative response to Diamond's argument that geographical and environmental factors can convincingly explain Western dominance. Readers of Stark's previous work will recognize that he rarely fails to skewer any liberal idea in his path, and he pulls no punches here. Liberation theology takes several hits, and he barely mentions the darker side of the West's legacy, including the decimation and forcible conversion of native peoples and the long-lasting economic and political impacts of colonialism.

Stark's closing speculations raise many questions. While he acknowledges an argument can be made that Christianity is no longer required for science and progress, "[t]he fact is that Christianity is becoming globalized far more rapidly than is democracy, capitalism, or modernity." He locates this spectacular growth in part to Christianity's "appeal to reason and the fact that it is so inseparably linked to the rise of Western Civilization. For many non-Europeans, becoming a Christian is intrinsic to becoming modern. Thus," he concludes, "it is quite plausible that Christianity remains an essential element in the globalization of modernity." Strong statements, material for another book perhaps. And the reader might wonder, if Christianity led inexorably to some of the most significant factors of modern life, has the West indeed created the best of all possible worlds, the one Jesus had in mind as he walked the roads of Galilee?


Jean A. Barker lives in the Bay Area and writes on religion.


Petr

[Petr]

I hope that this new book will turn up at Finnish academic libraries and I'll get my hands on it. Looks promising!

http://www.forward.com/articles/7233


Does Judaism Lack Reason? Claim Of Book Draws Fire From Critics

By JENNIFER SIEGEL
January 20, 2006


Having written a book that credits Christianity with nothing less than the success of all Western civilization, Rodney Stark is drawing his share of criticism from reviewers asserting the work is a thinly veiled polemic. But the worst crime committed by the one-time Pulitzer Prize nominee — at least according to one Jewish sociologist — is his representation of Judaism.

"[This] is the worst book by a social scientist that I have ever read," wrote Boston College professor Alan Wolfe, in a review that appeared in the January 16 edition of The New Republic. "Thought experiments have their place, but Stark's, it must immediately be said, is vile: even the most notorious anti-Semites give Jews credit for the banks."

In his new book, "The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success" (Random House), Stark, a sociologist at Texas' Baptist Baylor University, credited the West's development of capitalism, science and democracy to the rise of Christianity, the world religion which "alone embraced reason and logic as the primary guide to religious truth."

"Had the followers of Jesus remained an obscure Jewish sect, most of you would not have learned to read and the rest of you would be reading from hand-copied scrolls," Stark wrote. "Without a theology committed to reason, progress and moral equality, today the entire world would be... a world with many astrologers and alchemists but no scientists. A world of despots, lacking universities, banks, factories, eyeglasses, chimneys and pianos."

Stark, of course, is not the first thinker to search for the key to Western dominance. In the 1960s, historian William McNeill credited Europe's ascent to its taste for war, its navigational techniques and its resistance to disease. More recently, Jared Diamond pointed to "guns, germs and steel" in a 1999 book.

In sharp contrast to such scholars, Stark — who in 1996 was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for "The Rise of Christianity" — opted for a theological explanation, following in the footsteps of Max Weber, whose seminal 1905 work, "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism," argued that Protestantism embodied a work-and-save mentality that fueled capitalism in the West. Stark, in contrast, traced capitalism's beginnings to ninth-century Catholic monasteries and to Christian ideology itself, whose orientation toward rational theological discourse, he argued, promoted belief in science and progress. According to Stark, other world religions, including the "godless" religions of the East, do not have the concept of a higher power that governs the world according to laws and thus produced scholars who did not think "that science was possible."

Judaism and Islam, he argues, are based on a concept of a higher power, but "incline toward strict constructionism and approach scripture as law to be understood and applied, not as a basis for inquiry about questions of ultimate meaning."

Wolfe, in an interview with the Forward, took issue with such characterizations. "To read a book that, first of all, never mentions the word Judeo-Christian but seems to be saying that Christians and Jews went on very different paths and that the Christiýn path was the true and right and good path is really a regression," he said. In his review, Wolfe charged Stark with ignoring Judaism's tradition of rationalist thinkers, including Moses Maimonides, the 12th-century rabbi-philosopher, and their influence on Christian figures whom Stark praises, such as Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas.

Wolfe also took issue with Stark's characterization of "the Jewish idea of history" as one that "stressed not progress but only procession, while the idea of progress is profoundly manifest in Christianity."

"This is to scholarship as 'Red Sox Nation' is to fandom," Wolfe wrote in his review.

Alan Mittleman, a professor of Jewish philosophy and director of the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary, agreed. "To say that Judaism just sees procession — meaningless repetition of the same; tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow — that's not right," he said. But he agreed with Stark that Christianity is more committed to the idea of progress than Judaism is.

In an interview with the Forward, Stark said he hadn't read the review by Wolfe, whom he characterized a "third-rater." The professor said that his book was not meant to suggest that Judaism does not have a long and rich tradition of rational thought, but he didn't feel the need to dwell on Judaism since the world he was writing about "wasn't a Jewish world."

But why not at least make Christianity's debts to Judaism more clear? As Wolfe and others point out, many of the beliefs described in Stark's book as Christian — freedom, reason and equality — are found in the Hebrew Scriptures.

"I could have done a lot of things, I suppose, but I get tired of having to be P.C.," Stark said. "To have to cover every flank and somebody's going to say, 'Well, he doesn't have any woman scientists.' No kidding."

[Jimbo Gomez]

To read a book that, first of all, never mentions the word Judeo-Christian but seems to be saying that Christians and Jews went on very different paths

He seems to have struck a nerve. ;)

There is no such thing as judeochristian values.

Oh Petr, I have something new for you: in the Museum of Natural Science in London, they don't mention judeochristianity anymore, know what they say now there?

'the judeo-islamic-christian worldview'

Try beating that. :D

[Vindex]

Capitalism.....I don't think that is a thing to be proud of, I could have swore old jebus denouced Mammon and the rich numerous times. "It is easier for a camel to pass thought the eye of the needle then for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." Etc. But then again all christians are just twisting there religion to justify the way they want to live. So jebus brings capitalism, but capitalism is killing the West, so that is success?

[Kodos]

He seems to have struck a nerve.

There is no such thing as judeochristian values.

Isn't "Calvinism"( and yes it had many bad points) ussually called the most "jewish" form of christianity. The most successful European societies and America at least had some Calvinist influence( England Holland Prussia & Northern German).

[Petr]

Isn't "Calvinism"( and yes it had many bad points) ussually called the most "jewish" form of christianity.
If by "being Jewish" one means "following Old Testament," then yes, but apostate Judaism has been dominated by Pharisees () ever since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and their holiest book and the real source of guidance is Talmud, not the Old Testament.


Petr

[Chesterdox]

I'm currently reading the book, and it is very good.

...and Dr. Anti-Christ, given your moniker it isn't surprising that you don't understand Jesus' words, is it?

[Jimbo Gomez]

Heh, there's more that he doesn't quite understand...

Welcome aboard Chester. :)

[Petr]

I'm currently reading the book, and it is very good.
Have we met before, sir? :)


Petr

[Chesterdox]

Thanks for the welcome, very new to this site...

I don't think we've met before, Petr, but I've been on the TalkPhilosophy site recently.

[A. Radek]

He seems to have struck a nerve.

There is no such thing as judeochristian values.

Isn't "Calvinism"( and yes it had many bad points) ussually called the most "jewish" form of christianity. The most successful European societies and America at least had some Calvinist influence( England Holland Prussia & Northern German).

True, countries where Protestantism has a major influence are better off than most Catholic countries. I wouldn't attribute capitalism as a 'christian' value or influence, though.

Capitalism was around long before the northern European tribes quit painting their dicks blue and chunking spears at Romans. It goes as far back as the Assyrians, Greeks, and the Ptolemies era in Egypt, in 'the West', and in China another thousand or so years before that, ditto India. Babylon and earlier city-states were capitalist operations in many parts of their history.

[Petr]

Capitalism was around long before the northern European tribes quit painting their dicks blue and chunking spears at Romans.
Capitalism requires the background of Christian communal morality to reach its full potential. Otherwise it suffocates prematurely among the weeds of hyper-individualistic excess or the hold of an allmighty state.


Petr