The Victory Of Reason Summary

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In The Victory of Reason by Rodney Stark, he argues that spread and complete acceptance of capitalism as we know it is not only attributed to the Europeans but to the rise of Christianity. In his book, he hopes to explain why capitalism only developed in Europe and not in Asia or Islamic countries. This is arguably attributed to the fact that European Christians “embraced reason and logic as the primary guide to religious truth” (x). In chapter one Stark argues that theology consists of “formal reasoning about God” (5). He claims that polytheistic gods are not capable of withstanding theological discussion because they are not discussing an actual image of an all powerful deity. Stark discusses the lack of theologians in the East is due to their rejection of a conscious, almighty God. Christian theologians are abundant because they believe in the Lord as all powerful, all sufficient God. Important theologians like Augustine and Aquinas argued that reason is from God so we must try and reason with our faith. According to Stark, the Scientific Revolution is a complete misunderstanding as science is based on theory and research, just as faith in God is based on theory and arguing with reason. Christians have grappled with morality for centuries and Stark claims that individualism was not …show more content…

France and Spain were against this capitalism as they continued to rule with a heavy hand that “taxed, looted, and regulated commerce to a virtual standstill.” (163) Spain and France were both incredibly avaricious states and prevented wealth from entering into the economy, hindering development. Spain declined from their Golden Age after the rule of Ferdinand and Isabella ended. France was relatively underdeveloped after the Hundred Years War taxed their nation greatly. The king was the ultimate and uncontested power which created an absolutist

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