162. Benjamin Friedman Religion and the Rise of Capitalism
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In episode 162 of The Michael Shermer Show, Michael speaks with one of the nation\\u2019s preeminent experts on economic policy, Benjamin Friedman, about his new book Religion and the Rise of Capitalism \\u2014 \\xa0 a major reassessment of the foundations of modern economic thinking that explores the profound influence of an until-now unrecognized force \\u2014 religion.
Critics of contemporary economics complain that belief in free markets \\u2014 among economists as well as many ordinary citizens \\u2014 is a form of religion. And, it turns out, that in a deeper, more historically grounded sense there is something to that idea. Contrary to the conventional historical view of economics as an entirely secular product of the Enlightenment, Benjamin Friedman demonstrates that religion exerted a powerful influence from the outset.
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