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A review by ben_smitty
The Enchantments of Mammon: How Capitalism Became the Religion of Modernity by Eugene McCarraher
4.0
If you suspect that our collective addiction to buying random crap we don't need from Amazon.com seem almost religious, you might be on to something. Many will readily make a scapegoat out of Bezos because of his immense power, but it's almost reminiscent of the collective persecution of Christ, Oedipus, the witches of Salem, and other powerful religious figures throughout history and mythology (Girard would say that we have already deified Bezos in a way).
As many reviewers have already pointed out, McCaraher's book is an attempt to refute the idea that contemporary society is just "society - religion + science." It charts the history of how capitalism began with a religious idea, and how idea still remains: that wealth is a blessing from God, and the more wealth you have, the more deserving you are of that blessing.
Coursing through the development of Puritan theology, the enslavement of African-Americans, corporatism in America, the iconography of advertising, and so much more, McCaraher reveals that the religious worship of money as a sacrament has never left and is here to stay. It has enveloped so much of our day-to-day life, embedded itself so deeply within us that we cannot imagine a world that looks any different. Throughout this narrative history, McCaraher also introduces us to many of the romantics, socialist reactionaries, and working-class movements that attempted to stop the engulfing tide of capitalist enchantment but could not.
And yet, while McCaraher seems to believe this will inevitably lead to the implosion of capitalist nations, Christians of all ages have been astoundingly good at rebuilding the ruins. And he believes that we will. The spirit of what McCaraher calls "old communism," of Christian communitarianism which coincides with a sacramental view of the material world, is, for him, the only solution to rooting out capitalism and its "pecuniary metaphysic" once and for all.
My only complaint is that McCaraher could paraphrase and/or summarize more. There are quotes upon quotes upon quotes on every page, and though the storytelling is well-done, the quotes are a bit of an overkill (it took me 9 months to finish this book!)
As many reviewers have already pointed out, McCaraher's book is an attempt to refute the idea that contemporary society is just "society - religion + science." It charts the history of how capitalism began with a religious idea, and how idea still remains: that wealth is a blessing from God, and the more wealth you have, the more deserving you are of that blessing.
Coursing through the development of Puritan theology, the enslavement of African-Americans, corporatism in America, the iconography of advertising, and so much more, McCaraher reveals that the religious worship of money as a sacrament has never left and is here to stay. It has enveloped so much of our day-to-day life, embedded itself so deeply within us that we cannot imagine a world that looks any different. Throughout this narrative history, McCaraher also introduces us to many of the romantics, socialist reactionaries, and working-class movements that attempted to stop the engulfing tide of capitalist enchantment but could not.
And yet, while McCaraher seems to believe this will inevitably lead to the implosion of capitalist nations, Christians of all ages have been astoundingly good at rebuilding the ruins. And he believes that we will. The spirit of what McCaraher calls "old communism," of Christian communitarianism which coincides with a sacramental view of the material world, is, for him, the only solution to rooting out capitalism and its "pecuniary metaphysic" once and for all.
My only complaint is that McCaraher could paraphrase and/or summarize more. There are quotes upon quotes upon quotes on every page, and though the storytelling is well-done, the quotes are a bit of an overkill (it took me 9 months to finish this book!)