Overview
- Examines the evolution of polytheistic religion and its divergent outcomes
- Approaches polytheistic theology as a rational choice problem
- Suggests a straightforward explanation for the birth of monotheism
Part of the book series: Contributions to Economics (CE)
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About this book
This book sheds new light on the evolution and transformation of polytheistic religions. By applying economic models to the study of religious history and by viewing religious events as the result of rational choices under given environmental constraints, it offers a political economy perspective for the study of Indo-European polytheism. The book formally models the rivalry or competition among multiple gods in a polytheistic system and the monotheistic solution to this competition. Presenting case studies on the transformation and demise of various polytheistic religions, it highlights the pivotal role of the priestly class in driving religious change and suggests a joint explanation for the demise of Greco-Roman religion and the resilience of Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. It will appeal to scholars of the economics of religion and religious history and to anyone seeking new insights into the birth and death of religions, and the birth of monotheism in particular.
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Keywords
- Economics of religion
- Transition from polytheism to monotheism
- Hinduism and Zoroastrianism
- Greco-Roman religion and its demise
- Priesthood as a profession and as an interest group
- Religion and political economy
- Birth of monotheism
- Political economy to polytheistic religion
- Polytheistic theology as a rational choice problem
Table of contents (9 chapters)
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Front Matter
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The Endings
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Front Matter
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The Economics
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Mario Ferrero is an economist specializing in comparative economic systems, political economy, conflict, terrorism, and religion. In the past twenty years, he has focused on important problems of religious history, including the birth of Christianity, the Catholic Church, and the Reformation, Islam, and polytheism. He has published widely in academic journals and edited volumes.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Political Economy of Indo-European Polytheism
Book Subtitle: How to Deal with Too Many Gods
Authors: Mario Ferrero
Series Title: Contributions to Economics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97943-0
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-97942-3Published: 24 April 2022
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-97945-4Published: 25 April 2023
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-97943-0Published: 23 April 2022
Series ISSN: 1431-1933
Series E-ISSN: 2197-7178
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 188
Number of Illustrations: 6 b/w illustrations, 2 illustrations in colour
Topics: Social Choice/Welfare Economics/Public Choice/Political Economy, Comparative Religion, Classical Studies, History of Religion