Frank Knight on Preachers and Economic Policy: A 19th Century Liberal Anti Religionist, He Thought Religion Should Support the Status Quo |
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| Authors: | Williams S Kern |
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| Institution: | William S. Kern, Ph.D., is assistant professor of economics, Franklin and Marshall College, P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17604. This study is presented in commemoration of the centennial of the birth of Frank H. Knight. It is based on a paper presented before the History of Economics Society. |
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| Abstract: | Abstract . A central feature of the work of American economist and social philosopher Frank H. Knight was his antagonism toward organized religion, particularly Christianity and especially Catholicism. Knight's antagonism towards the Church may be traced to his historical views on the Liberal Revolution and the opposition of the Church to critical inquiry and open discussion, and its support for despotic social institutions. Additionally, Knight's antagonism stemmed from his skepticism about the possibilities of effective social reforms based upon Christian moral principles. Knight found little in Christian teaching that would offer appropriate solutions—certainly not the “Gospel of Love” which he took as the core of Christian social teachings. Furthermore he was critical of the reform efforts of preachers because of their ignorance of the function of the free market and their propensity towards radical solutions. On the centennial of his birth, he is remembered as an ardent social critic and a liberal supporter of the status quo. | |
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