--- product_id: 352265 title: "The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success" price: "€ 57.44" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/352265-the-victory-of-reason-how-christianity-led-to-freedom-capitalism store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success **Price:** € 57.44 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success - **How much does it cost?** € 57.44 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/352265-the-victory-of-reason-how-christianity-led-to-freedom-capitalism) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Many books have been written about the success of the West, analyzing why Europe was able to pull ahead of the rest of the world by the end of the Middle Ages. The most common explanations cite the West’s superior geography, commerce, and technology. Completely overlooked is the fact that faith in reason, rooted in Christianity’s commitment to rational theology, made all these developments possible. Simply put, the conventional wisdom that Western success depended upon overcoming religious barriers to progress is utter nonsense.In The Victory of Reason, Rodney Stark advances a revolutionary, controversial, and long overdue idea: that Christianity and its related institutions are, in fact, directly responsible for the most significant intellectual, political, scientific, and economic breakthroughs of the past millennium. In Stark’s view, what has propelled the West is not the tension between secular and nonsecular society, nor the pitting of science and the humanities against religious belief. Christian theology, Stark asserts, is the very font of reason: While the world’s other great belief systems emphasized mystery, obedience, or introspection, Christianity alone embraced logic and reason as the path toward enlightenment, freedom, and progress. That is what made all the difference.In explaining the West’s dominance, Stark convincingly debunks long-accepted “truths.” For instance, by contending that capitalism thrived centuries before there was a Protestant work ethic–or even Protestants–he counters the notion that the Protestant work ethic was responsible for kicking capitalism into overdrive. In the fifth century, Stark notes, Saint Augustine celebrated theological and material progress and the institution of “exuberant invention.” By contrast, long before Augustine, Aristotle had condemned commercial trade as “inconsistent with human virtue”–which helps further underscore that Augustine’s times were not the Dark Ages but the incubator for the West’s future glories. This is a sweeping, multifaceted survey that takes readers from the Old World to the New, from the past to the present, overturning along the way not only centuries of prejudiced scholarship but the antireligious bias of our own time. The Victory of Reason proves that what we most admire about our world–scientific progress, democratic rule, free commerce–is largely due to Christianity, through which we are all inheritors of this grand tradition. Review: A Religion That Changes - Every 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." Review: A Startling, Masterful Work - Rodney Stark's "The Victory of Reason" is a startling, original, and masterful refutation of the arrogance and disinformation that masquerades as progressive thinking within the academy, especially that which concerns the rise of civilization in the West. As the author illustrates with many well documented examples and case histories, the so-called Dark Ages were anything but dark, and the high culture that arose in Europe during the Middle Ages was unique, unprecedented, and never duplicated in any other culture, East or West. All civilizations rise from religion, and the Christianity which emerged from the ashes of the Roman empire fostered independent thinking, respect for the worth of the individual, a commitment to liberty and autonomy, the ideas of progress and exploration, as well as the foundations of modern commerce from which capitalism would naturally evolve. The author provides a capsule of the thinking of Augustine, Aquinas, and the Church Fathers that informed the age, demonstrating how faith in a living God who rewards virtue and punishes sin helped to mold the character of Europeans during a most remarkable millennium. While Stark concedes there were missteps at various times and places, when prelates overstepped their roles and authority, Christianity reflexively opposed slavery and oppression and championed free will, accountability, and compassion. Stark writes that "Christianity was founded on the doctrine that humans have been given the capacity and, hence, the responsibility to determine their own actions." In such a world, fatalism was impossible and reason was essential. Comparisons presented in the text with the reasoning of other faiths - pre-Christian paganism, Judaism, Islam, Confucianism, Communism, and secular humanism - provide an eye-opening contrast. The lengthy middle section of the book presents a chronicle of the birth of commerce and self-governance in Italy and central Europe, revealing the degree to which reason combined with trial and error led to the formation of the modern world. Eighteenth-century intellectuals - Voltaire, Rousseau, and the like - advanced the canard that all the world was immersed in ignorance, superstition, and darkness before their time. They claimed responsibility for awakening the human mind from the Dark Ages: in truth, the anti-authoritarian, anti-clerical, anti-rational world they created turned out to be a somber and blood-stained affair - leaving behind a tragic view of life that sadly haunts the academy to this day. In this work, Rodney Stark demonstrates persuasively how "Christianity created Western Civilization," and he describes with compelling insight the process by which the engines of reason and progress were combined to transform our world. His review in the concluding chapters of the explosive growth of Christianity around the world is captivating, even as it raises many troubling questions about the intellectual and moral decadence of Christian culture and the West today. The author's reputation as one of the most insightful analysts of the emergence and consequence of Christianity is well deserved. This imminently readable volume ought to be essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the roots of contemporary culture and how our world came to be as it is. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #883,081 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #305 in Christian Historical Theology (Books) #1,076 in History of Christianity (Books) #1,447 in Christian Church History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 338 Reviews | ## Images ![The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/814dKzZLjyL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Religion That Changes *by G***R on November 22, 2011* Every 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." ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Startling, Masterful Work *by J***K on March 19, 2006* Rodney Stark's "The Victory of Reason" is a startling, original, and masterful refutation of the arrogance and disinformation that masquerades as progressive thinking within the academy, especially that which concerns the rise of civilization in the West. As the author illustrates with many well documented examples and case histories, the so-called Dark Ages were anything but dark, and the high culture that arose in Europe during the Middle Ages was unique, unprecedented, and never duplicated in any other culture, East or West. All civilizations rise from religion, and the Christianity which emerged from the ashes of the Roman empire fostered independent thinking, respect for the worth of the individual, a commitment to liberty and autonomy, the ideas of progress and exploration, as well as the foundations of modern commerce from which capitalism would naturally evolve. The author provides a capsule of the thinking of Augustine, Aquinas, and the Church Fathers that informed the age, demonstrating how faith in a living God who rewards virtue and punishes sin helped to mold the character of Europeans during a most remarkable millennium. While Stark concedes there were missteps at various times and places, when prelates overstepped their roles and authority, Christianity reflexively opposed slavery and oppression and championed free will, accountability, and compassion. Stark writes that "Christianity was founded on the doctrine that humans have been given the capacity and, hence, the responsibility to determine their own actions." In such a world, fatalism was impossible and reason was essential. Comparisons presented in the text with the reasoning of other faiths - pre-Christian paganism, Judaism, Islam, Confucianism, Communism, and secular humanism - provide an eye-opening contrast. The lengthy middle section of the book presents a chronicle of the birth of commerce and self-governance in Italy and central Europe, revealing the degree to which reason combined with trial and error led to the formation of the modern world. Eighteenth-century intellectuals - Voltaire, Rousseau, and the like - advanced the canard that all the world was immersed in ignorance, superstition, and darkness before their time. They claimed responsibility for awakening the human mind from the Dark Ages: in truth, the anti-authoritarian, anti-clerical, anti-rational world they created turned out to be a somber and blood-stained affair - leaving behind a tragic view of life that sadly haunts the academy to this day. In this work, Rodney Stark demonstrates persuasively how "Christianity created Western Civilization," and he describes with compelling insight the process by which the engines of reason and progress were combined to transform our world. His review in the concluding chapters of the explosive growth of Christianity around the world is captivating, even as it raises many troubling questions about the intellectual and moral decadence of Christian culture and the West today. The author's reputation as one of the most insightful analysts of the emergence and consequence of Christianity is well deserved. This imminently readable volume ought to be essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the roots of contemporary culture and how our world came to be as it is. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Christianity the Cause of Modernity? *by F***G on February 11, 2006* Rodney Stark's "The Victory of Reason" was at once illuminating and exasperating. It was illuminating because of how it traced the origins of capitalism and industrialization to developments in the very early middle ages (what used to be called simply "the Dark Ages"). And it was exasperating because he made his points about Christianity's beneficent effects by simply bifurcating its effects into good or bad, and attributing the good effects to "true" or "authentic" Christianity, and its bad effects to politics rather than to religion. Thus the malevolent effects of the Inquisition in Spain, Portugal, and the Papal States in Italy were all due to the quest for political power on the part of the ruling elites, not due to evils inherent in Medieval Christianity. Whereas the creativity of the northern Italian Renaissance city states was entirely due to the people's Catholic Chrsistian religion. I am willing to believe Christianity had something to do with the "Triumph of the West" after the 15th Century. But the way the condemnation of Galileo quashed science in Italy, and the way the Inquisition in Spain quashed any move toward modernity there until the 20th Century, makes me sensitive to the ways in which Christianity can be used for either good or evil purposes. These uses of the religion,for either good or ill purposes, do not seem to me to arise from the defining traits of the religion itself. I am, alas, helpless to say what exactly it does come from. Stark did force me to go back and do further reading about the "Fall of Rome" and about the "Dark Ages." He led me to a recent reinterpretation of these transitions by some contemporary historians such as Peter Brown (author of "The World of Late Antiquity"). These historians argue that there was no such thing as a 5th Century "fall" of civilization. There was merely a transformation of civilization from one form of social organization (Imperial Rome) to another (comprised of monasteries and feudalism). It was this latter form of social organization, according to Stark, which then produced caapitalism and modernity. This thesis that there was no real "fall" from civilized life in 5th Century Italy is severly contested by other historians, such as Bryan Ward-Perkins (author of the recent "Fall of Rome.") Ward-Perkins presents lots of archeological evidence that there really was a collapse of civilized life in 5th Century Italy which caused great suffering among those who endured it. I have concluded Ward-Perkins has an overwhelmingly strong evidential case against the continuity theorists like Peter Brown and Stark. Yet the "Dark Ages" were fruitful in many ways. The Franks developed the horse collar, the moldboard plow, crop rotation, the stirrup, and other innovations which put Europe on an upward track toward technological superiority. Why were these illiterate Franks so much more innovative than the Romans? Stark claims their Christianity was the cause, but he fails to say how, exactly, their Christian beliefs produced these effects. One unexpected connection he revealed to me was the link between the cloth industry and the advent of both capitalism and industrialization. The story of the rise of capitalism begins (he says) in the northern Italian city states of the Renaissance, then moved to the Netherlands prior to the wars with Spain. After the Spanish Netherlands were trashed by Catholic armies, the development toward modern cloth weaving technology moved first north to Holland, and then after the Dutch were defeated by the British at sea, these developments were transplanted to England. The mechanization of the cloth industry there was advanced first by the use of water power, and then by the use of steam power. This final transition to steam powered cloth factories is what is typically meant by "the Industrial Revolution." The spinning of thread and the weaving of cloth is the only thing which all these developments share in common. Why was cloth making the engine pushing all these technological developments, rather than, say, iron smelting? Again I do not know, but the entire question has been made salient for me by Stark's book. I would agree that freedom (as articulated, say, by Mill's essay "On Liberty,") is the linchpin of Western superiority over non-Western cultural forms (such as Sunni Islam, for example). I am not clear how this was caused by Christianity, if indeed it was. But plainly whatever that original connection may have been, the link has now been severed. No one would want to call Mill or Kant (or more recently, John Rawls) "Christian" philosophers. So if there ever was a "Christian Victory of Reason," it occurred in the remote past, and is only of antiquarian interest today. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/352265-the-victory-of-reason-how-christianity-led-to-freedom-capitalism](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/352265-the-victory-of-reason-how-christianity-led-to-freedom-capitalism) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-07-29*