Money Is a Sterile Thing
Martin Luther on the Immorality of Usury Reconsidered
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5131410 |
|---|---|
| Authors | John Singleton (0000-0002-9286-5559, corresponding author), John D Singleton |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 683-698 |
| Publication date | 2011-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History of Political Economy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-2702 • E-ISSN: 1527-1919 |
| Publisher | Duke University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1215/00182702-1430283 |
| OpenAlex | W3122693878 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 11 |
In the history of economic thought, Martin Luther is frequently identified with medieval Scholastic doctrine. His belief that "money is sterile" is offered in support of this assessment. However, this obscures the fact that Luther rarely invokes this line of reasoning in his writings on usury and that his argument for its immorality is not dependent upon the proposition. These facts, which differentiate Luther from the Scholastic writers, are consistent with his opposition to Aristotelian natural philosophy and the influence of nominalism on his thought. In order to establish the immorality of the census contract, condoned by the German Scholastic theologians, Luther reconstitutes the argument. The unappreciated significance of Luther's thought is therefore twofold: (1) there exists a burgeoning degree of independence between the positive analysis of usury and the reasons for its immorality; and (2) individual conscience and personal interpretation are left the arbiters in determining ethical practice
Argument (complex analysis · Conscience · Doctrine · Epistemology · Immorality · Misrepresentation · Morality · Nominalism · Political science · Scholasticism · Theology · Usury · Economic Theory and Institutions · Historical Economic and Legal Thought · Law · Philosophy
Luther’s struggle with social-ethical issues
Luther
The Pursuit of Holiness in Late Medieval and Renaissance Religion
Religious Thought on Social and Economic Questions in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
Religious Thought on Social and Economic Questions in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
Martin Luther's Doctrine on Trade and Price in Its Literary Context
The Social Basis of the German Reformation
Religion and the Rise of Capitalism
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,2 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2022 (7) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |