Wealth Shapes Morality

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Predestination as believed by Calvin coexisted with a moral imperative to use wealth for good, but over time, this notion faded for many Christians. Calvin modified the strict condemnation of usury, recognizing the changing economic landscape characterized by an emerging bourgeois class and banking systems. He acknowledged that capital flow was essential for markets, leading to a practical acceptance of lending money with interest. This shift supports the idea that economic forces drive societal changes, prompting individuals to realign their ethical frameworks and religious beliefs to fit economic realities.

Economic change happens in a cultural context. We trace the tectonic shifts in the Western mind that made capitalism thinkable – in part through a look at two Enlightenment thinkers: Baruch Spinoza and Adam Smith. (The real Smith, not the one held up as the patron saint of unfettered capitalism.).

By John Biewen, with co-host Ellen McGirt. Interviews with Kate Rigby, Glory Liu, Steven Nadler, and Wendy Carlin. Story editor: Loretta Williams. Music by Michelle Osis, Lilli Haydn, Chris Westlake, Alex Symcox, and Goodnight, Lucas. Music consulting by Joe Augustine of Narrative Music. "Capitalism” is a production of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, in partnership with Imperative 21.