Judaism – Protestantism – Catholicism: Religious Paths of Economic Initiative
Judaism – Protestantism – Catholicism: Religious Paths of Economic Initiative

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is to describe the sociological discourse on entrepreneurship in the context of its religious determinants. The paper starts with the famous claim by Max Weber about the Protestant monopoly in this area. This claim is then critically analysed. The article comprises three parts. The first presents economic initiative as driven by non-economic factors. The second part focuses solely on the dispute between Max Weber and Werner Sombart over the primacy of Protestantism or Judaism, respectively, in the area of business operations. Last but not least, the third part discusses what Catholic social teaching has to say on entrepreneurship, and postulates that human dignity be emphasised in the area of economic activity.

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