By: Todd E Henley on October 26, 2023
All societies face the economic task of producing and providing for all members of society. Modern market societies are unique in assigning this responsibility to the marketplace, thereby creating entitlements to production for those with wealth, and depriving the poor of entitlement to food. All traditional societies have used non-market mechanisms based on cooperation and…
By: Esther Edwards on October 26, 2023
The Great Transformation, written by Karl Polanyi, “concentrated on the development of the market economy in the 19th century, with Polanyi presenting his belief that this form of economy was so socially divisive that it had no long-term future.”[1] His opening statement affirms this as he states “Nineteenth-century civilization has collapsed.”[2] This declaration of doom…
By: Russell Chun on October 26, 2023
Kapitalizmus – vadló futás, Capitalism – wild horse running – Hungarian Part 1 – What Polanyi says… Part 2 – What Clarks says…and a current Capitalist Part 3 – What my peers say… Part 4 – What Russ learned.. Part 1 – What Polanyi says… Apparently, I have become an audio learner. Perhaps because…
By: Adam Harris on October 26, 2023
I’ve been in full time ministry most of my vocational life, but while getting my master’s degree I took a detour into the business world for a few years. While working as a fitness trainer, a sales manager position opened that sold fitness training packages for a national gym chain. I was hesitant at first,…
By: Mathieu Yuill on October 26, 2023
I live near Lake Ontario, about 350 metres (or 400 yards). Almost 30 kilometres north (or 19 miles), my colleague lives in Stouffville and her backyard borders the southern side of what is called The Greenbelt[1], a vast expanse of protected land around Lake Ontario. When visiting her one day and looking over the fence…
By: Pam Lau on October 26, 2023
“The Gospel itself is a disembedding from social and collective memberships into a new social reality.”[1] Before identifying the central theme from Karl Polanyi’s paradigm of exchange, The Great Transformation, I found it helpful to remember and recall the story of Ruth from the Old Testament to offer a framework for how I understand Weber’s,[2] Polanyi’s[3] and…
By: Kally Elliott on October 26, 2023
Next Friday the Presbytery of the Cascades will vote to give one of our church properties to the Future Generations Collaborative, a coalition of non-profits representing many Native American communities. As I understand it, they will turn the church property into a village of sorts for single native American mothers and their children. It will…
By: Cathy Glei on October 25, 2023
“Ours is not a historical work; what we are searching for is not a convincing sequence of outstanding events, but an explanation of their trend in terms of human institutions.” Karl Polanyi [1] “The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time” is a seminal work by Hungarian-American economist and social theorist Karl…
By: Kim Sanford on October 24, 2023
Black-and-white thinkingIn Oxford and immediately afterwards, our cohort had numerous conversations about over-simplified thinking. Simon Walker spoke about the overwhelming complexity of our current era and how our brains desperately grasp at over-simplifications. I found his explanations comforting. It’s not our fault that we reach for simplicity. Our brains crave it. Of course, as responsible…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on October 24, 2023
I picked up The Great Transformation; The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time and I went straight to the back of the book looking for some insight before I began to read. The first thing that I read was Karl Polanyi (1886- 1964), I said a prayer that this book would be easier for…
By: Travis Vaughn on October 23, 2023
According to Kurtuluş Gemici, the financial crisis of the late 2000s was a “Polanyi moment – the realization that markets, when left to their own devices, are destructive to social relations and fabric.”[1] Karl Polanyi believed there was a “double movement” process related to capitalism — markets expand and then society steps in to regulate…
By: Tim Clark on October 23, 2023
In the 1987 film, The Princess Bride, the character Vizzini, repeatedly uses the word “inconceivable” when things don’t go as planned. Finally, Inigo Montoya responds: “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means”. A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog I titled “Words Matter”, admitting that…
By: John Fehlen on October 23, 2023
Many agree that in the realm of economic and social thought, Karl Polanyi’s seminal work, “The Great Transformation,” has left an indelible mark. Although awed by his incredible level of intellect, that mark for me will be, well, delible and unremarkable. Published in 1944, this exhaustive (!) work explores the complex interplay between economic systems,…
By: Jennifer Vernam on October 23, 2023
In three weeks, the oldest of my two children turns 18. I thought having a toddler was expensive, but I have learned that having two teenage drivers with one starting college next year is much, much more expensive. As we have been churning through all the decisions that are part of this phase of childhood…
By: Esther Edwards on October 20, 2023
Throughout my life I have seen those who I admire show great self-responsibility, a hard work ethic, and a motivating drive to succeed. My parents and mentors were prime examples. Furthermore, a good work ethic is something we look for when we hire staff and it is something we have tried to instill in our…
By: Dinka Utomo on October 20, 2023
“Beware of thinking all your own that you possess, and of living accordingly. It is a mistake that many people who have credit fall into.” -Benjamin Franklin- Assurance and anxiety stand as polar opposites. Throughout history, individuals have striven for assurance through a multitude of guarantees that offer a sense of confidence. Anxiety is…
By: Jenny Dooley on October 19, 2023
In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, a key question that author Max Weber raised was, “How can we live under modern capitalism, which gives priority to the laws of the market over longstanding traditions, ethical values, and personal relationships?”[1] That is a very good question for us to ask ourselves today. In…
By: Todd E Henley on October 19, 2023
July 20, 1996, I was being interviewed for a Youth Pastor position. The one question I remember from the lead pastor was, “Are there any topics you tend to emphasize more than others on a consistent basis?” I felt the atmosphere in the room change after that question. No one had ever asked me that…
By: Adam Harris on October 19, 2023
Reading a book like Max Weber’s, The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, makes for a difficult blog post, at least for me. Books like these remind me of just how much I don’t know, and I still don’t think my mind is completely wrapped around everything Weber proposes. I think I would…
By: Mathieu Yuill on October 19, 2023
My introduction to Calvinism occurred in my 40s, quite by chance, through a conversation with a pastor I had become acquainted with. To my initial bewilderment, he confessed his affiliation with Calvinism, a theological doctrine. At that moment, I mistakenly believed he was referring to his affinity for the popular comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes.”…
