The Christian roots of capitalism

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.(...)

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." (...)

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. Reviewed by Jean E. Barker