Schumpeter’s theological roots? Harnack and the origins of creative destruction

Paul Nightingale

Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 2015, vol. 25, issue 1, 69-75

Abstract: This short research note highlights the similarity between Schumpeter’s theory of creative destruction and the work of his contemporary, the German theologian Adolf von Harnack (1851-1930). The note provides a brief overview of Harnack’s concepts and terminology and highlights their similarity to Schumpeterian ideas about routinisation, charismatic entrepreneurial leadership, and creative destruction. While the evidence is far from conclusive it does suggest that the similarity merits closer attention that could potentially lead to changes to the received understanding of the theory of creative destruction. In particular, it suggests a potential need to reassess the position of Schumpeter within a wider Weberian tradition. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Keywords: Schumpeter; Harnack; Creative destruction; B History of Economic Thought (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s00191-014-0360-x

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