A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 44 “The Rhetorical Change was Necessary, and May be Sufficient Dr. McCloskey is wrapping up Part VI of her book with this chapter focusing on the importance of the shift in rhetoric and playing with the concepts of necessary and sufficient. If the shift in…
Tag: Economic History
Bourgeois Equality
Good Ideas Put the Bourgeois in Charge
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 43 “Ideas Made for a Bourgeois Revaluation” Dr. McCloskey is continuing her exploration for the factors that caused the Great Enrichment to occur when and where it did, nineteenth century England. She has been focusing on many economic and cultural factors so far, but…
Bourgeois Equality
Why We Need a Supportive Government not a Predatory One
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 42 “Political Ideas Mattered for Equal Liberty and Dignity” Dr. McCloskey is examining the role political thinking played in making the trade tested betterment system work. She notes that many societies in the past, and now, have some elements needed for such a system…
Bourgeois Equality
Then the Printing Press Buoyed the Flow of Ideas, and thus the Bourgeois Revaluation
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 41 “Printing and Reading and Fragmentation Sustained the Dignity of Commoners” Dr. McCloskey is exploring the various factors that contributed to a culture supportive of the Great Enrichment, and now she turns her attention to the increase in the sharing of ideas that the…
Bourgeois Equality
And the Bourgeois Revaluation also needed a Happiness Revival
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 40 “The Theology of Happiness Changed Circa 1700” While last chapter, Dr. McCloskey explored the impact of the Radical Reformation movement on the church leading to a belief in self governance, in this chapter she explores the impact of changes in the theology of happiness….
Bourgeois Equality
Radical Reformation of Church Governance Contributed to the Bourgeois Revaluation
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 39 “‘Democratic’ Church Governance Emboldened People” Dr. McCloskey continues her exploration of what led to a cultural shift away from esteeming hierarchy and towards esteeming the individual because it is that shift that enables the Great Enrichment she is trying to explain. She focuses…
Bourgeois Equality
Progress was not Inevitable or Predictable
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 38 “The Causes were Local, Temporary, and Unpredictable” People have a tendency to explain how we got where we are in history as if it was an inevitable process, but in this chapter, Dr. McCloskey is advancing the idea the cultural changes that allowed…
Bourgeois Equality
The Relative Tolerance of Holland
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 37 “For Instance, Holland Was Tolerant, and Not for Prudence Only” In this chapter, Dr. McCloskey is wrapping up her discussion of the Dutch embrace of the bourgeois virtues by focusing on what impact it had on their relatively higher level of tolerance. To get…
Bourgeois Equality
What Really Motivated the Bourgeois Dutch to Charity
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 36 “And the Dutch Bourgeois was Virtuous” Nearing the end of Part 5, which is concentrating on the rise of bourgeois in the 1500s and 1600s, Dr. McCloskey is focusing on the Netherlands. Last chapter she gave some of the historical reasons bourgeois virtues…
Bourgeois Equality
How the Dutch First Got Bougie
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 35 “The Dutch Preached Bourgeois Virtue” In the mood for some Dutch history? When are you not, am I right? If you are anything like me, your historical knowledge of Dutch history is thin. So in this chapter, Dr. McCloskey is making note of…