Projections of theology in economic organisation The weberian interpetation and the experience of the Hospital towns of Vasco de Quiroga

Abstract

In the field of economics, the works of Max Weber and, to a lesser extent, the Lutheran theologian Ernst Troeltsch on the relationship between economic ethics and religion are well known. For Troeltsch, pre-Reformation Christianity was characterized by a compromise between salvation and worldly life that could made both possible. Thus, scholastic thought developed criteria for assessing the extent to which lucrative activities were compatible with salvation. The traditional economic mindset, described by Weber in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, was based on these foundations. We will study a particular case of this traditional Christian mindset: that of the hospitals founded by Vasco de Quiroga. In this case, we observe how economic activity, far from being considered a danger to salvation, can be oriented towards it while satisfying the needs of the population and contributing to economic development.