This work deserves ten stars. Clear, persuasive, cogent, erudite. Uses history, religion, economics, politics as springboard to surprising conclusions. Neither arrogant nor fawning, Nelson offers insight that looks beneath the surface of common thinking. Presents both sides of many opinions. Well done. Contents -
Introduction: The market paradox
One - The laws of Economics as the new Word of God
1. Tenets of Economic Faith
2. A secular great awakening
Part Two - Theological Messages of Samuelson's Economics
3. The market mechanism as religious statement
4. Apostle of scientific management
Part Three - The Gods of Chicago
5. Frank Knight and original sin
6. Knight vs Friedman vs Stigler
7. Chicago vs the Ten Commandments
Part Four - Religion and the new institutional economics
8. A new economic world
9. Efficient religion
Part Five - Economics as Religion
10. God bless the market
11. A crisis of progress
Conclusion
Nelson explains in the preface that this book grew out of his work as an economist for the interior department. ''Indeed, the conflicts between economic and environmental values that dominated many of the policy outcomes during my years at the interior department are best understood as new variations on earlier religious disagreements among followers in branches of Jewish and Christian religion.'' (xxii) Preconceived ideas are difficult to see - and harder to change.
''There is a growing recognition at the beginning of the twenty first century that secular religions - usually grounded in scientific claims - are actual categories of religion, often now competing directly with more traditional faiths. . . . Robert Bellah finds that 'we can say that in contemporary society social science has usurped the traditional position of theology.' '' (xxii)
''This book, then, offers a theological exegesis of the contents of modern economic thought, regarding economic thinking as not only a source of technical understanding of economic events, but also for many economists and noneconmists alike a source of ultimate understanding of the world. It is a new kind of theological study of the most powerful set of religious beliefs, as I have come to conclude, of the modern era.'' (xxv) Nelson provides convincing evidence.
On page 266 Nelson offers a summary -
1. By the modern age traditional religion in the Judeo-Christian sense had lost much of its earlier authority in public life, thus posing a large transaction cost problem for the functioning of economic (as well as other) institutions in society.
2. Following Isaac Newton, much of the authority of traditional religion was transferred to science. Science became the dispenser of valid truth claims, and in this respect scientific knowledge was now seen as having the greatest religious authority in modern society.
3. Since the physical sciences had little to say about human affairs, the social sciences moved to and were successful in assuming the mantle of science - and also acquired the religious authority of science in matters of the economy, politics, and other spheres of social action.
4. Social science thus became the religion of the modern age . . .
5. As religious hopes for a secular salvation increasingly turned to economic events. . .
6. The success of economics in its religious function was to a significant extent independent of the degree of validity in the specific truth claims produced by economics as an analytical science - and in cases such as Marxism . . .
7. . . Economics as religion has been incapable of answering in a satisfactory way many of the fundamental questions that religion historically has been asked to address.
Easy to read, nevertheless, the switch Nelson makes from 'proven science' to 'theological insight' could be difficult for some.
Thirty one pages of excellent notes, eight page index. No photographs.
無料のKindleアプリをダウンロードして、スマートフォン、タブレット、またはコンピューターで今すぐKindle本を読むことができます。Kindleデバイスは必要ありません。
ウェブ版Kindleなら、お使いのブラウザですぐにお読みいただけます。
携帯電話のカメラを使用する - 以下のコードをスキャンし、Kindleアプリをダウンロードしてください。
何か問題が発生しました。後で再度リクエストしてください。
著者について
著者をフォローして、新作のアップデートや改善されたおすすめを入手してください。
他の国からのトップレビュー
Clay Garner
''Secular religions - usually grounded in in scientific claims - are actual categories of religion'' - page xxiii
2016年6月29日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Aurelian Dochia
Enlightening
2013年1月8日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
umlungu
Kindle Edition: end notes not active
2011年5月7日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
