Introduction
In his concept of the "divine economy," Paul Seabright performs a key epistemic move: he separates religion into the "poetry of meaning" and the "prose of management." This approach helps explain why religious institutions endure for centuries. While poetry gives suffering a purpose, prose handles budgets and logistics. In this article, you will learn how religion functions as a relational platform, why statistics can be misleading, and the dangers posed by the alliance between altar and throne.
Religion as a Platform and a Mass of Trust
In Seabright’s view, religion is primarily a relational platform. Its main product is not dogma, but the facilitation of connections between people. The value of such an organization grows with the number of members due to network effects. Dogma serves as a verification protocol, creating behavioral predictability and reducing risk in business or community relationships.
Religious institutions build a mass of trust and social capital that the state often cannot produce. To protect these resources from "free riders," ritual is used as a costly signal of loyalty. Difficult or time-consuming practices filter out those with low commitment, strengthening the group's internal cohesion. In this model, the believer is both a user and a valuable asset of the platform.
The Paradox of Statistics and the Market of Needs
Analyzing religiosity requires accounting for Simpson’s paradox. Global statistics may suggest the decline of a faith, when in reality, it is only losing market share due to low demographics in its traditional centers, rather than a lack of persuasive power. Religion effectively satisfies material needs (as an informal insurance system) and relational needs, offering a stable support network in a mobile, modern world.
The contemporary market for meaning is being reshaped by technological innovation and AI. Seabright notes that religions have long built "analog metaverses"—immersive environments using architecture and music to shape experiences. Today, the digital revolution merely shifts the boundaries of this competition, forcing traditional institutions to fight for attention in a new, decentralized communication environment.
The Poisoned Chalice and a Diagnosis of the Polish Church
Political support for religion is a poisoned chalice. While it may temporarily strengthen an institution's walls, in the long run, it destroys its capacity for self-regulation. When religion gains a state-guaranteed monopoly, the pressure for ethical quality disappears. Systemic sources of abuse in religious organizations often stem from power asymmetries, a lack of external oversight, and the prioritization of reputation over the safety of the faithful.
This model allows for a diagnosis of the situation in Poland. The Catholic Church, with its network of 17,500 pulpits, functions as a powerful communication infrastructure. At the same time, it avoids financial transparency, which is a civilizational requirement of modernity. A lack of accountability and openness turns the poetic narrative of the sacred into a smokescreen for the prose of unchecked power and political influence.
Risks and Limits of Analyzing the Sacred
Does an economic analysis of religion lose its transcendent essence? The primary risk is reductionism—reducing profound limit experiences to a cold calculation of utility. An economist can measure the "shadow" of an institution, but they cannot always grasp the essence of faith. The real challenge lies in maintaining a balance between the poetry of meaning and the prose of management.
An institution claiming moral authority must justify itself through superior procedures and transparency. Without this, the prose of management degenerates, and sublime poetry becomes merely an alibi for systemic violence. Ultimately, it is not declarations, but standards of accountability that determine the credibility of religion in modern society.
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