The Economic Ethics Of World Religions And Their Laws

Based on analyses of the essays written by Max Weber on China, India, ancient Judaism and also on the dispersed material about Islam, Eastern Christianity and Occidental Christianity, this book examines the economic ethics of Asian and Christian traditions and their corresponding legal systems. Drawing also on Weber's methodology (particularly the concept of adequate causation), the author reveals that the nature of Asian religions as well as the nature of customary and other not formally rational laws in Asian cultures could not lead to modern capitalism out of their own sources, although capitalism could be adopted from the outside. The culture of the Occident, upon which capitalism is based, is revealed to consist of a double rationalisation: the formal rationality of the exterior circumstances of life (administrative and legal) and the innerworldly practical rationality of the inner motivations of the Protestants, supported by a goal-oriented rational technology.

This book brings together for the first time in English internationally-recognized specialists who seek to identify what is 'living' and what is 'dead' in the great German social scientist Max Weber's analyses of China, India and Ancient Israel found in his massive, unfinished Economic Ethic of the World Religions. In so doing, the volume offers a powerful new perspective on the current debate concerning the timing of and deeper roots of the 'Great Divergence' - and more recent convergence - in the economic and political development of the West on the one hand, and the great civilizations of Asia on the other. At the same time, this volume also rebalances our understanding of Weber's entire intellectual output by returning The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism to its proper place within Economic Ethic of the World Religions and establishing that work as the equal of the similarly unfinished Economy and Society.

Most books on business ethics approach the subject philosophically. That approach, Zinbarg tells us, is that it neglects the most important source of most people's understanding of right and wrong: their religious tradition. While philosophy can shed the light of reason on the ethical dilemmas of economic life, it's less than convincing about why we ought to behave well, lacking the compelling urgency of religious faith. Following a wonderfully lucid and succinct summary of the ethical systems relative to Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, the author presents a variety of case studies (in lively dialogue form) from the whole gamut of economic life, including misrepresentation by sellers, truth in advertising, the ethics of part-time employment, child labor and environmental ethics. The solutions may vary from tradition to tradition, but overall one is struck by the similarities. This is a book grounded in the real ethical challenges of modern business practice, with a kind of world-religious perspective so necessary in an era of globalization.

Ethics and World Religions presents eighteen original cases that discuss ethical issues of diverse peoples and religions situated around the world. Each case is followed by two commentaries that explore the relevant issues from the perspective of two different religious traditions. Commentaries highlight the religious values, principles, and laws that are relevant, and they also suggest the range of options for resolution that exist within the perspective of that religion.

This book brings together for the first time in English internationally-recognized specialists who seek to identify what is 'living' and what is 'dead' in the great German social scientist Max Weber's analyses of China, India and Ancient Israel found in his massive, unfinished 'Economic Ethos of the World Religions'. In so doing, the volume offers a powerful new perspective on the current debate concerning the timing of and deeper roots of the 'Great Divergence' - and more recent convergence - in the economic and political development of the West on the one hand, and the great civilizations of Asia on the other. At the same time, this volume also rebalances our understanding of Weber's entire intellectual output by returning 'The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism' to its proper place within 'Economic Ethos of the World Religions' and establishing that work as the equal of the similarly unfinished 'Economy and Society'.

What do world and regional religions say about economic morality? The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Economic Ethics presents together for the first time the key tenets and teachings of numerous faiths on this subject. In doing so, it also compares the major religions in their positions on various social, business, and policy topics, such as consumerism, competition, ecology, and feminism. It concludes with an analytical synthesis that presents and explains the patterns that emerge from the various religions and themes explored across the Handbook's chapters. Together, these chapters underscore a symbiosis between religion and economic life as they mutually enrich each other. On the one hand, religion improves the efficiency and efficacy of economic life by lowering the frictional and monitoring costs of market operations. Virtuous market participants internalize norms of good economic conduct and behave accordingly. On the other hand, socioeconomic life offers manifold enticements, comforts, and overindulgences that paradoxically push devout adherents to invest themselves even further in their beliefs. Socioeconomic life provides an opportunity for religions to build strong faith communities and for believers to reify their religion in their economic conduct. This Handbook presents the richness, nuances, and rationale of religions and their economic ethics. Readers will discover a remarkable convergence in religions' teachings on economic morality, despite their wide differences in dogma, ecclesial structures, and social practices. This confluence can be traced to similarities in the underlying anthropologies and cosmologies of these faiths. Finally, this Handbook shows, the major faiths share far more values than divide them, at least when it comes to economic morality.

This book brings together for the first time in English internationally-recognized specialists who seek to identify what is 'living' and what is 'dead' in the great German social scientist Max Weber's analyses of China, India and Ancient Israel found in his massive, unfinished Economic Ethic of the World Religions. In so doing, the volume offers a powerful new perspective on the current debate concerning the timing of and deeper roots of the 'Great Divergence' - and more recent convergence - in the economic and political development of the West on the one hand, and the great civilizations of Asia on the other. At the same time, this volume also rebalances our understanding of Weber's entire intellectual output by returning The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism to its proper place within Economic Ethic of the World Religions and establishing that work as the equal of the similarly unfinished Economy and Society.

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,0, , language: English, abstract: Nowadays many firms produce and sell worldwide and employ workers from different nations. How do differences in a country’s religion or ethical system influence their global business operations? How does culture affect them? Is outsourcing production to developing countries ethically defensible? The aim of this paper is to address these questions. Religion comprises shared beliefs, values, and rituals. Values are assumptions regarding what is good, right, or important. Ethical systems involve codes of conduct and values that externally form a group of people’s behaviour. Ethical systems are often based on religion and religion expresses ethical principles. Measured by percentage of world population in 2010, Christianity (31.4%) is the biggest religion, followed by Islam (23.2%). By 2050, however, the Islamic population will be approximately equivalent to the number of Christians. The following section describes how those two religions and their ethics impact on international business.

How religious beliefs and practices can influence the wealth of nations Which countries grow faster economically—those with strong beliefs in heaven and hell or those with weak beliefs in them? Does religious participation matter? Why do some countries experience secularization while others are religiously vibrant? In The Wealth of Religions, Rachel McCleary and Robert Barro draw on their long record of pioneering research to examine these and many other aspects of the economics of religion. Places with firm beliefs in heaven and hell measured relative to the time spent in religious activities tend to be more productive and experience faster growth. Going further, there are two directions of causation: religiosity influences economic performance and economic development affects religiosity. Dimensions of economic development—such as urbanization, education, health, and fertility—matter too, interacting differently with religiosity. State regulation and subsidization of religion also play a role. The Wealth of Religions addresses the effects of religious beliefs on character traits such as work ethic, thrift, and honesty; the Protestant Reformation and its long-term effects on education and religious competition; Communism’s suppression of and competition with religion; the effects of Islamic laws and regulations on the functioning of markets and, hence, on the long-term development of Muslim countries; why some countries have state religions; analogies between religious groups and terrorist organizations; the violent origins of the Dalai Lama’s brand of Tibetan Buddhism; and the use by the Catholic Church of saint-making as a way to compete against the rise of Protestant Evangelicals. Timely and incisive, The Wealth of Religions provides fresh insights into the vital interplay between religion, markets, and economic development.