The economic philosophy and the history of economic thought incite us to go back up the course of time and to go back over the positivist claim of an autonomous economics. In this movement of return towards the origin of the discipline two moments are to be distinguished. At first\, the social embeddednes of the economy according to which coordinations of decisions are connected with social conventions and norms. Then\, the ethical embeddedness of the economy according to which the individuals do not pursue their interests without being at the same time forced by the imperative of justice. At these two moments - who today express themselves under the shape of the institutionnalist theories and the theories of social justice - it seems legitimate and urgent to add a third moment. Isn't it necessary to speak of a religious embeddedness of the economy?
Two questions arise immediately at this point\, as so many possible objections. At first\, which significance does this backward movement bear? Is it about a deconstruction in the spirit of Heidegger's and his successors' philosophy or is it to remove a repression in the sense used by Marx or isn't it on the contrary a movement of regression which offends Auguste Comte and the progress of the sciences? Then\, secondly\, among all the past and present religions what religion is it about? And which notion of religion is it necessary to mobilize that can fit to the modern economic agent's interest and desire of wealth?
These questions have undoubtedly their relevance. But\, however\, it is no reason for putting seriously obstacle to the economic philosophy questioning nor to the curiosity of the historian and to the quest for a widened notion of economy to better address the contemporary challenges. In the previous moments it was necessary to specify in the same way the meaning of the interrogation and to define the notions of civil society\, norms\, institutions\, ethics or justice. Here\, the questions arise in the following way: did and are the economic activity\, thought and language still permeated with rites\, myths\, sacrifices\, prayers? Were they and are they permeated with an accepted or repressed presence of the Divine\, immanent or transcendent? We cannot see what would forbid the philosopher\, the historian and all those who want to enlighten the present by the lessons of the past to take these questions seriously.
However\, it is obviously necessary to limit the field of this inquiry. It is what the coming international onference at Sciences Po Lille the 15 and 16 January 2015 proposes to do.
For more informations\, please contact : patrick.mardellat@sciencespo-lille.eu
MANAGING COMMITTEE
Arnaud Berthoud\, Lille1-CLERSE
Annette Disselkamp\, Lille1-CLERSE
Patrick Mardellat\, Sciences Po Lille-CLERSE
Delphine Pouchain\, Sciences Po Lille-CLERSE
Marlyse Pouchol\, Reims-CLERSE
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Arnaud Berthoud (Université\; Lille1-CLERSE)
Elodie Bertrand (PHARE)
Dominique Bourg (Université\; de Lausanne)
Alain Caillé\; (Université\; Paris Ouest Nanterre La Dé\;fense - SOPHIAPOL)
Franç\;ois Dermange (Université\; de Genè\;ve)
Daniel Diatkine (Université\; d'Evry-Val-d'Essonne-PHARE)
Annette Disselkamp (Université\; Lille1-CLERSE)
Ragip Ege (Université\; de Strasbourg-BETA)
Cé\;line Ehrwein Nihan (HEIG du Canton de Vaud-Unité\; RHM)
Olivier Favereau (Université\; Paris Ouest-Nanterre La Dé\;fense-EconomiX)
André\; Lapidus (Université\; Paris1-PHARE)
Patrick Mardellat (Sciences Po Lille-CLERSE)
Denis Mü\;ller (Université\;s de Genè\;ve et Lausanne)
Jean-Yves Naudet (Université\; d'Aix-Marseille III-CREEADP)
Claire Pignol (Université\; Paris1-PHARE)
Delphine Pouchain (Sciences Po Lille-CLERSE)
Marlyse Pouchol (Université\; de Reims-CLERSE)
Birger Priddat (Universitä\;t Witten-Herdecke)
Nathalie Sartou-Lajus (Revue Etudes)
Stefano Solari (Universita di Padova)
Ramon Tortajada (Université\; PMF Grenoble2)