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Título: The Neo-Calvinist Foundation of Globalization
Autores: Etzrodt, Christian
Fecha: 2010-12-29
Publicador: Asia Journal of Global Studies
Fuente:
Tipo: info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Tema: No aplica
Descripción: This paper argues that globalization - in the sense of an increasing economic interconnectedness and cultural homogeneity - is a recent phenomenon linked to a long historical process with foundations in a specific religious doctrine: Neo-Calvinism. Free trade ideology was first advocated by the classical economists, especially Adam Smith, the founder of modern economic theory. As will be shown, Smith's accomplishment was not to invent new economic ideas, but to transfer existing economic ideas from a Catholic context into a neo-Calvinist context, constructing his economic theory in a way that supported his religious values. The result was a vision of a competitive economy that forces all economic actors to behave like neo-Calvinists in order to survive in the market. Free trade is only a logical extension of this idea to ensure the universalization of neo-Calvinist values. But if globalization is backed up by neo-Calvinist values, which are not shared by other religions, then the opposition of many religions to globalization is easy to understand. In other words, whether we support or reject the liberalization of world markets is a question of values, in this case values which may appear secular but have religious origins.
Idioma: Inglés