Capitalism & Love of Neighbor: Can They be Reconciled?

Chesterton House welcomes Sarah Estelle Associate Professor of Economics; Hope College to discuss the topic of capitalism. Typically Christians who focus on the morality of markets and economics see the problem as “taming” markets to mitigate the unjust outcomes they tend to produce. Classically libertarian views are not usually looked upon favorably by Christian theologians who engage in economic questions, being too fixated on individualism at the expense of the common good. Sarah Estelle has taken a different view, defending the libertarian political economy inspired by F. A. Hayek and classical Christian thinkers such as Augustine and Aquinas. On her view, markets can actually serve as an instrument of love, and finds a surprising compatibility with Augustinian concerns of the classical Christian tradition. Join Chesterton House in conversation with Sarah to hear about her own journey in finding an unlikely synthesis between these approaches.