The Journey of Interest
Philosophical and Ethical Development from Ancient Rejection to the Modern Financial Crisis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6190782 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ján Kalajtzidis (0000-0002-3886-3069, University of Prešov, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 450-468 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-28 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1210-3055 • E-ISSN: 1337-401X |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/humaff-2025-0018 |
| OpenAlex | W4411954006 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
This paper traces the philosophical and ethical development of debt and interest from ancient condemnation to modern acceptance, revealing how historical critiques can illuminate contemporary financial crises. Beginning with the idea of money as “unnatural” when it breeds itself, and drawing from classical and medieval prohibitions on usury, it follows key shifts in moral reasoning through the Reformation and Enlightenment. These conceptual transformations are placed in dialogue with modern critiques of debt, particularly when vital needs such as education and healthcare become subject to interest-bearing lending. Through a historical-philosophical lens, the paper argues that early moral safeguards, once intended to prevent exploitative lending, have been gradually dismantled, contributing to present-day debt burdens. It concludes by suggesting that reviving selected historical boundaries, such as interest caps or protections for existential loans, could inform financial reforms that better reflect principles of justice, dignity, and human flourishing
Debt · Dignity · Economic Justice · Economics · Enlightenment · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Existentialism · Financial crisis · Flourishing · Modernity · Political science · Sociology · Usury · Economic, financial, and policy analysis · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Weber, Simmel, Sociological Theory · Finance
| Highly cited | No |
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