Introduction: Polytheism and Economics

Mario Ferrero

Chapter Chapter 1 in The Political Economy of Indo-European Polytheism, 2022, pp 1-15 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter outlines the central question and the economic approach to it, and provides a road map through the book. The problem is the divergent fate of the historical religions stemming from a common origin, the prehistoric Proto-Indo-European religion: some (the Greek, Roman, Celtic, and Germanic religions) became extinct, while others (the Indian and Iranian religions) were reformed and managed to survive and thrive. Why these different outcomes? The book employs the key economic concepts of exchange and competitionCompetition to describe the transactionsTransactions between gods and men and the role of the priests in them. The basic hypothesis combines theology and priestly institutions to produce a possible way out of the trap of divine jealousyJealousy, divine, where polytheism is stuck in an inefficient equilibrium.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97943-0_1

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