History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, Vol. II

The importance of the question: to which religion would the leadership of industry fall?—It seemed at first to be within the grasp of Spain—The magnificent position of Spain under Charles V—The economic error that gold alone constitutes wealth—The Italians, for the most part, escaped this error—The first consequence of this error in Spain was that manufacturing was neglected, and all national energies were concentrated on gold mines—The second consequence was that the colonies were ruined by restrictive laws—The third consequence was a fluctuation original: "convulsion" of prices, resulting from the excessive supply of gold but aggravated by laws prohibiting its export—These economic causes were worsened by the vast development of the monastic system—Its incompatibility with industry—And by the revival of slavery—Las Casas Bartolomé de las Casas (1484–1566), a Spanish landowner and priest who became a protector of Indigenous peoples but initially suggested African slavery as an alternative.—And by four great acts of religious intolerance—The downfall of Spain was an almost unmixed benefit to mankind—The introduction of "hot drinks" This refers to the arrival of tea, coffee, and chocolate in Europe, which had significant social and behavioral effects. into Europe and their moral and social effects—Upon the downfall of Spain, the leadership of industry passed to Protestantism, though the influence of the two religions eventually ceased to be the primary factor in the conflict—The antagonism of intellectual tendencies between the town and the country—Changes that have been effected in their relative importance—The medieval preference for agriculture—The school of Sully Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully (1560–1641), who famously stated that "tilling and pasturing are the two breasts of France."—Superseded by the "Mercantile Theory" An economic policy designed to maximize the exports and minimize the imports for an economy., which was more favorable to manufacturing—Colbert—The school of Quesnay The Physiocrats, who believed the wealth of nations derived solely from the value of land agriculture. which followed was theoretically extremely unfavorable to manufacturing, but practically favorable to it—Modification of this school by Raynal—Adam Smith proves manufacturing to be a source of wealth—But he maintains the superior productivity of agriculture—He is refuted on this last point by Ricardo—The movement in favor of manufacturing was stimulated by the invention of credit—And by the development of machinery—The economic effects of machines—The special force of their influence in England—The intellectual expression of an industrial civilization is Political Economy—Its peaceful original: "pacific" influence—Theological agencies are not peaceful—And philosophical ones are inefficient—The effects of Political Economy in uniting different countries—And different classes—The effects of the principle of self-interest upon the emotions—The philosophy of self-denial original: "mortification" and the philosophy of development represented respectively by Asceticism and Industrialism—Asceticism was supreme until the fourteenth century—The history of monasteries shows its steady decline—The position assigned to wealth by industrialism—The destruction of asceticism among the ancient Greeks was due to art; among modern people, it is due to industry—Intellectual influences favorable to industrialism—Utilitarianism as the philosophical expression of industrialism—Evils resulting from this philosophy—The decline of the spirit of self-sacrifice—The tendency toward materialism—Conclusion.