The thesis that differences in economic development are due to different religious traditions was put forward by Antero de Quental in 1871 at Conferências do Casino in a paper called As Causas da Decadência dos Povos Peninsulares. This was considered a much herectic thesis and nobody paid attention to it. Actually, it was because of this paper that the Conferências do Casino were closed down by govenment decree.
Thirty four years later, in 1905, Max Weber published the very same thesis in Germany in a book titled The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. This was a most influential book and the thesis rapidly gained universal acceptance to the point that Weber has been considered the most influential thinker in twentieth-century America. The Portuguese did accept this thesis too, I mean, the Weberian thesis, not the Quentalian thesis.
The denationalisation of money was practiced in Portugal for several decades during the nineteenth century and strongly defended by Alexandre Herculano. This thesis is now known in Portugal as a Hayekian thesis. Hayek put it forward one century after Herculano.
More recently, in the early 1990's, José Saramago, by government decree, could not even qualify for a Portuguese literary prize. A few years later, the Swedish Academy awarded him the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is now considered a great writer in the country.
These examples are illustrative of two points about the Portuguese people and culture. First, of their love, or lack of it, for independent thinking; second, of their love to trade in second-hand, imported ideas.
Thirty four years later, in 1905, Max Weber published the very same thesis in Germany in a book titled The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. This was a most influential book and the thesis rapidly gained universal acceptance to the point that Weber has been considered the most influential thinker in twentieth-century America. The Portuguese did accept this thesis too, I mean, the Weberian thesis, not the Quentalian thesis.
The denationalisation of money was practiced in Portugal for several decades during the nineteenth century and strongly defended by Alexandre Herculano. This thesis is now known in Portugal as a Hayekian thesis. Hayek put it forward one century after Herculano.
More recently, in the early 1990's, José Saramago, by government decree, could not even qualify for a Portuguese literary prize. A few years later, the Swedish Academy awarded him the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is now considered a great writer in the country.
These examples are illustrative of two points about the Portuguese people and culture. First, of their love, or lack of it, for independent thinking; second, of their love to trade in second-hand, imported ideas.
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