St. Francis, capitalist?
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Sep 12, 2003
What are the intellectual origins of capitalism? Adam Smith, you say? The mercantilists?
Some Italian scholars are advancing a startling new theory: that capitalism can be traced back to roots in Franciscan theology. It's a provocative idea, and while the argument is definitely uphill, it makes for some interesting reading.
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
