On May 18, a discussion of the new book ”Religious influences on economic thinking: the origins of modern economics” published by Gaidar Institute Press, took place at the Library on Gazetny Lane.
The author of the book, Benjamin M. Friedman, Professor of the Harvard University, argues that religious thinking has not merely acted as a background, but rather as a powerful driving force in the setting of modern economy and continues to influence it to this day. The discussion focused, in particular, on the idea that new trends in Protestantism in England were a significant factor influencing Adam Smith's views. Participants discussed B. Friedman's thesis that the influence of religion on economics at the birth of science largely determined its subsequent development, even despite the radically changed historical context.
Maria Sushentsova, Candidate of Economic Sciences and Associate Professor at the NRU HSE; Irina Chaplygina, Candidate of Economic Sciences and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics at Moscow State University, and Ruslan Khaitkulov, Senior Lecturer at the NRU HSE, were among speakers. During a lively discussion, they examined in detail how religious dogmas, primarily the Protestant ethic, shaped the model of capitalist behavior, preaching ethical freedom and directly influencing economic behavior through a person's outlook.
The audience has been actively questioning whether there is a stable or, on the contrary, an unsustainable link between the spread of Protestantism and the rise of capitalism, as well as whether Professor Friedman’s findings are empirically confirmed. The meeting was held in open dialogue, confirming the relevance of an interdisciplinary approach to economic history.
