Subverting Greed

Search

Link to Us
How to Make Us
Your Homepage
Copyright © 2003

Orbis Books

September 2002

Subverting Greed:
Religious Perspectives on the Global Economy

Paul F. Knitter, Professor of Theology Emeritus, Xavier University, Cincinnati
Chandra Muzaffar, President, the International Movement for a Just World

Contributors:
Ameer Ali, University of Western Australia
Ifi Amadiume, Dartmouth College
Swami Agni Vesh, Chair of the UN Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery
David R. Loy, Bunkyo University, Chigasaki, Japan
Sallie McFague, Vancouver School of Theology, Canada
Norman Solomon, Member of the Faculties of Theology and of Oriental Studies, Oxford University, England
Zhou Qin, National University of Singapore

“The poor can help religions better understand each other," says Paul Knitter in his introduction to Subverting Greed: Religious Perspectives on the Global Economy. Knitter recalls a parable from the ancient Confucian philosopher Mencius, which proposed the image of a child teetering on the edge of a well to illustrate that any human being who witnessed this would exhibit "the mind that cannot bear the sufferings of others" by reaching out to save the child.

"When we meet another human who is suffering or about to fall to his or her death," Knitter writes, "we naturally find ourselves reaching out to help. The suffering of others touches and calls forth something within ourselves, something that defines our humanity. That, I think, is what is starting to happen within the religious communities of the world. The child perched precariously on the edge of the well, however, has multiplied to become the millions of human beings facing the threat of economic poverty, homelessness, and disease. . . It is this vast population of suffering poor who are currently calling out to the religious communities of the world."

With this perspective as a point of departure, co-editors Paul F. Knitter and Chandra Muzaffar have assembled an impressive slate of contributors to speak to the problems of globalization from a variety of religious perspectives: Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Judaism, Hinduism, the Indigenous Igbo tradition of West Africa, and Islam. The result is an extraordinarily thoughtful volume that offers students an "interfaith dialogue on paper" focused on one of the most urgent issues of our time: corporate-driven globalization of the world economy. Insightful essays by distinguished religious scholars--all also practitioners of the religious traditions they represent--consider the impact of globalization on local economies and peoples as they seek to define common problems and propose common solutions. The inclusion of Discussion Questions and Suggested Further Readings make Subverting Greed ideal for undergraduates as well as faith groups concerned with the issues and problems of the world economy.

Also of Interest: Subverting Hatred: The Challenge of Nonviolence in Religious Traditions

ORDER A COPY OF Subverting Greed
Professors: To order a complimentary examination copy pubassist@brc21.org inlcude your name, institution, address, telephone and the title of the course.

Return to Orbis Page
To Order An Orbis Book
To Contact Orbis Books
Return to Home Page