Why Theology in International Affairs?
Max Stackhouse Sunday, 1 March 2009
I am grateful to Robert Nelson for his careful review of my Globalization and Grace, the final volume of the series on God and Globalization. My thanks also to The Review of Faith & International Affairs for inviting me to respond to it. In his own work, Nelson has written compellingly on the impact of religious influences on economic theory; and he has demonstrated not only that economists hold value-laden views, but that economics is not an entirely value-neutral and autonomous science. While there are universal economic "laws" (e.g. supply and demand) that allow degrees of accuracy in predicting costs and prices, other influences—cultural, religious, and ethical—shape the presuppositions of economists, the behavior of the public, and their evaluations of the economic system. Indeed, I am convinced that if these factors are not recognized and assessed, economic theory will be incomplete and economists will be unable to discern what is driving social life and thus economic developments.
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