PDF The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom; Capitalism; and Western Success by Rodney Stark in History

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Shine the light of TRUTH!By Ammo GuyDid you ever know something but didn't know why? You know something to be true but don't have the facts right at hand.Did you ever know something was “not right” but you couldn't put your finger finger on what it was?This book fill in those blanks! With information.Without gong into details: The “Dark Ages”; fall of the Roman Empire; Catholicism/Christianity; Capitalism are filled with the light of knowledge. Maybe for the first time.Facts you can argue with. Powerful ammunition.Aim small; miss small.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. interestingBy HarlanStark makes a good case for the value of a good religious tradition in the promotion of rule of law; educational attainment; and a well-functioning market-based economy. His analysis of the effects of the fall of the Roman Empire was particularly interesting. He claims that the Empire had become a giant rent-seeking operation that hindered growth and its demise unleashed a wave of creativity in Europe. He also claims; with good logical support; that the seeds of the Renaissance were in the Catholic tradition. The contribution of Greek texts to the Renaissance was; according to Stark; due to the work of Greek scholars from the former Byzantine Empire who had preserved these tees and fled to Europe to escape Muslim persecution.5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A Religion That ChangesBy Gilbert ReeserEvery now and then a book can change you in a very fundamental way. This book has changed the way I look at Christianity.The Victory of Reason is a history book; not a book on religion. It posits that Christian theology has led to four big accomplishments of mankind: 1 - a belief that human progress was possible; 2 - that personal freedom was essential to happiness; 3 - technical and organizational innovation and 4 - the development of capitalism. Mr. Stark succeeds in showing how reason made all four possible - reason derived from Christian theology.As someone educated in science; I have for many years looked on Christianity as something that had to be overcome or ignored. The dogma could so easily be disproved by modern science. It stood in the way of accepting evolution and cosmology. The very idea that Christianity could be behind the victory of reason was counter intuitive. Since I was raised as a Methodist; my early education led me to believe that the Protestant Ethic was responsible for much of life's success and that Rome and the Pope were trying to block scientific progress.The success of Western Civilization was obvious; but what could that be attributed too? Surely not just the superiority of Europeans. This idea was falling out of favor as I was leaving high school and entering the university in 1954. No; it must be related to the scientific progress that came from overcoming religious dogma.Perhaps. But then why did this occur in Europe and North America and not in China; India or the Middle East? Couldn't they have overcome religious dogma too? It just couldn't be related to religion. After all; didn't Rome fall because of Christianity as Gibbon suggested? How can you run a civilization based on turning the other cheek and glorification of the meek; the poor and the humble? Not to mention the nonsense of virgin birth and a heaven in the clouds with a large white male in charge. So there was no good explanation of how success came to us and not to others.The idea that a religion can change in fundamental ways over time is not something that is obvious. Religions depend on faith and it is very dangerous to even allow questioning or debate. So it is a surprise for me to find out that Christianity has undergone such changes. This is unique among all religions; I guess. It alone allows reason and logic to be used whereas others embrace "mystery and intuition." In early Christianity revelation was in vogue; the past was emphasized and predestination embraced. Today reason; the future and free will are. Rodney Stark shows how Augustine; Thomas Aquinas and others transformed Christianity. How capitalism is good in spite of the "eye of the needle" quote. And how personal freedom and technical progress derived from or at least were allowed by Christianity.The book is not without flaws. When he denigrates the dark ages at the beginning of chapter two; he errs. If you read the small book "The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization" by Bryan Ward-Perkins you find out that archeology shows that not only government; but pottery; utensils; tools; clothing; houses and food also went into a 500 year dark age. Stark's examples of progress and reason are almost entirely from 1100 AD on. His claim that science and technology was enhanced by Christianity is also over the top. But his point is valid - only in Christian Europe did the Renaissance; the Industrial Revolution and the Scientific Method occur.To me; any history book can be judged by what you learn that is new. This book is full of examples. Did you know that the Italian city-states brought banks and multi-national firms to northern Europe and England for the first time in the 13th century? Why did Spain fall from prominence so quickly? It too was very Christian. This answer and many more await the reader of "The Victory of Reason."