The Passage from Theology to Economics

Abstract

Beginning with value premises of any kind, clearly one may judge the economic choices of individuals, since they are only part of moral behaviour in general. But my concern here is with the institutions which both shape and are shaped by behaviour, and which are greatly responsible for social good and evil. How successfully may one get from theological values underpinned by religious faith and dogma to valid judgements and recommendations for economic institutions and policy? Further, must they be contingent on the intervention of economic science, introducing specialised information and analysis and such goals as cost and output efficiency? These are the matters I propose to discuss in general terms and illustrate from Laborem Exercens and Ethical Reflections on the Economic Crisis to reach some conclusions.