The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power and People
Paul Seabright (Princeton University Press, $44, 485 pages)
Paul Seabright, an economist at the Toulouse School of Economics, ambitiously applies not only economics but anthropology, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, science, and sociology, to understand how the world’s religions, which he calls platforms — “structures that bring individuals together in mutually beneficial relationships that those individuals cannot bring about on their own” – attract and retain followers and thus money and power to sustain themselves over time. Furthermore, Seabright does so looking beyond the Abrahamic religions and all in 341 pages before landing at the statistical appendix, endnotes, bibliography, and index. Seabright says that these religious platforms do more than “interact with invisible spirits” (God or gods), they “facilitate relationships” that provide purpose and meaning in the lives of adherents; sometimes it is as basic and utilitarian as the human community of the church, synagogue, or temple. Regardless, these relationships – both amongst the human community and between the individual and God (or gods) — develop personal resilience, which strengthens both the person and the larger faith. That broad story is repeated in every religious tradition.
Seabright’s economic gaze and terminology may offend some readers. He does not address the veracity of religious claims and even downplays religious truth. He treats religions as brands, and people of faith reading a comparison of the growth of Christianity or Islam to being like Walmart replacing smaller, local shops might take offense. Many of these larger “brands” are international in scope and provide uniform (or near uniform) services, just like the large multinationals. Others may find his jargonistic explanations difficult to follow, if not downright silly. But Seabright is on to something when he says that secularism has not succeeded because religion provides people with meaning, purpose, and community that is not available elsewhere; even in our increasingly secular cultures, billions of people still claim (if not always practice) their faith, and examining why through an interdisciplinary lens and economic reasoning helps explain why.
