Orthodoxy and Economy. The Ethics of the Christian East as a Possible Source of Lower Economic Results in Countries with a Majority of Orthodox Population

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to consider as broadly as possible the relationship between the faithful of the Orthodox Churches and their perception of the problem of economy. It aims to portray together different ways of understanding this concept – from the “economy of salvation,” through the ascetic economy (which is juxtaposed with Weber’s “intra-world asceticism”) to contemporary discussions on this subject both within the Orthodox Church and in relation to the latest economic indicators. It is argued that the current relatively low share of countries with a majority of Orthodox believers in the global GDP is rooted in a different than Western understanding of Christian ethics, and that the tradition of understanding it in this particular way is still alive.