The Moral Economists: R. H. Tawney, Karl Polanyi, E. P. Thompson, and the Critique of Capitalism

277 Pages·2017·2.58 MB·English

by  Tim Rogan

The Moral Economists

The Moral Economists
R. H. Tawney, Karl Polanyi,
E. P. Thompson, and the
Critique of Capitalism
Tim Rogan
Princeton University Press
Princeton & Oxford
Copyright © 2017 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press,
41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press,
6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TR
press.princeton.edu
Jacket art: Detail from Early Morning, 1954, by L. S. Lowry
© The Estate of L. S. Lowry.
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Rogan, Tim, 1983– author.
Title: The moral economists : R.H. Tawney, Karl Polanyi, E.P. Thompson,
and the critique of capitalism / Tim Rogan.
Description: Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 2018. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2017009882 | isbn 9780691173009 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Capitalism—Moral and ethical aspects. | Socialism. | Tawney, R.
H. (Richard Henry), 1880–1962. | Polanyi, Karl, 1886–1964. | Thompson, E. P.
(Edward Palmer), 1924–1993.
Classification: LCC HB501 .R66657 2018 | DDC 174/.4—dc23 LC record
available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017009882
British Library Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available
This book has been composed in Classic Arno
Printed on acid- free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Susanne

Contents
Introduction 1
1 R. H. Tawney 16
The North 18
Idealism 22
Pluralism 25
Guild Socialism 29
Christian Socialism 40
Religion and the Rise of Capitalism 43
The History of the Present 48
2 Karl Polanyi 51
Hungary 57
Red Vienna 61
Fascism 65
“Beyond Jesus” 70
The Great Transformation 78
The History of Political Economy 83
3 Capitalism in Transition? 92
The Politics of Democratic Socialism 98
Welfare Economics 103
The Future of Socialism? 106
Planning for Freedom 112
The Education Act of 1944 117
Definitions of Culture 127
vii
viii Contents
4 E. P. Thompson 133
Romantics and Revolutionaries 135
Stalinism 138
The Scrutiny Movement 143
Socialist Humanism 147
The Making of the English Working Class 157
New Lefts 167
After Marx 174
Conclusion 184
Small Is Beautiful? 187
Individual Values and Social Choice 189
Amartya Sen 194
Histories of the Future 198
Acknowledgments 201
Notes 205
Index 253
The Moral Economists