The Economic and Cultural Dynamics of Globalization

I am currently visiting the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA) at Boston University.  The Director of CURA is the great sociologists Peter Berger.  CURA evolved from Berger's earlier  Institute for the Study of Economic Culture (ISEC).

I am here discussing the economic and cultural dynamics of globalization.  Berger gave an overview of world religious movements.  He spoke about the secularization thesis, and why the current empirical reality runs counter to the modernization/secularization thesis.  Berger argued that the cultural elite are prone to overstate the case for secularization because of three factors: (1) geographic exception--- Western Europe and Central Europe does conform nicely with the secularization thesis;  (2) sociological selection bias --- members of the intellectual/cultural elite in the human sciences tend to be non-religious (this is not true with respect to the hard sciences) and thus they tend to believe that just as they became less religious as they were educated and "modernized" it is only natural that others will be less religious as they are "modernized"; and (3) confusion between positive and normative statements concerning secularization, so that anti-religious zealotry is wrapped in pro-modernity rhetoric.  These 3 factors make sure that a cultural elite cling to the modernization/secularization thesis beyond where it could reasonably be maintained.

Berger's talk was amazing in its breadth of coverage: from the Pentecostal movement, to Evangelical Roman Catholicism, to Eastern Orthodox, to Islamic Fundamentalism, etc.  Berger showed an explosive growth of capitalism and modernity throughout the world have been coupled with an explosive growth of religious movements.

My talks will not address the growth of religious commitment, but instead will be focused on the role of culture in economic development.

I will be talking about the changing nature of economic discourse which has created space for a discussion of culture and institutions.  I will focus on the interaction between beliefs, values, and norms; formal legal and political structures; and public policy.

Comments

[Rafe Champion]

The secularisation thesis probably failed because the various secular, scientific and rationalistic alternatives to religous belief (Marxism, scientism etc) are themselves based on "true belief" premises and so they do not challenge the framework that sustains the traditional religions. This is a rather large topic to pursue in a small comment but Bill Bartley's work on "justificationism" maybe helpful.

http://www.the-rathouse.com/writingsonbartley.html

Bartley showed that we tend to be hostages to a dogmatic framework of thought in which knowledge and rationality depend on 'true belief.' This is essentially a religious framework but it tends to persist even when people turn away from conscious adherence to religious beliefs. The true belief framework, not surprisingly, generates true believers who do not accept the challenge of creative self-criticism that is required to eliminate error and generate fresh problems and insights.

[Josh]

Boettke, you gotta let us Northern folk know when you (or any other Austrians) are speaking in our neck of the woods. It's not often we get a good lecture and I would have loved to attend your seminar.

Are you speaking any where else in the Boston area this week?

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I posted the article because I felt a good discussion about it was called for. As you will note at the intro, I cut out several paragraphs that I felt were over the top and not substantiated, and some images that were not originals and could not be sourced.