[An] outstanding book about economics and ethics…If we can better order our
lives—and in Hirschfeld’s account, most of us need to—then we can achieve better markets and
create more just market systems.
-- Jonathan Tran Christian
Century
For those seeking succinct, clear and accurate accounts
of the Thomist understanding of the human person and the presuppositions of economics, this book
could hardly be bettered.
-- Frank Litton Irish
Catholic
[Hirschfeld] integrates economic research into a
‘philosophic and theological discussion about the human good and human happiness.’ This
knowledge may not be quantified in pie charts, by Wall Street, or within algorithms, but
Hirschfeld insists that wisdom lies beyond the labs and the think-tanks…Aquinas and the
Market begins a necessary conversation between economic and theological sectors, in
the academy and, one hopes, outside the ivory towers and seminaries, to calculate our ultimate
worth.
-- John L. Murphy
PopMatters
Excellent…Hirschfeld offers an attractive and
sophisticated model for how theology should approach economics.
-- Derek S. Jeffreys
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
We are not lacking
in Christian critiques of neoclassical economics. Rarely do these come from a Harvard-trained
economist turned Catholic theologian. In order to diagnose just how the rational choice model
frustrates, rather than facilitates, the pursuit of happiness, we must get clear on the nature
of genuine human flourishing. In a book both acute and winsome, pragmatic and visionary,
Hirschfeld turns to Thomas Aquinas for inspiration. Only with an adequate anthropology in hand
can we understand both why economic analysis works as well as it does, and why it ultimately
leads us astray. Freed from the pursuit of maximal utility, we can begin to build a humane
economy. A wise and urgently-needed contribution!
-- Jennifer Herdt, Yale
University
In Aquinas and the Market, Mary
Hirschfeld takes on the demanding task of relating religion—particularly Christianity—and the
discipline of economics. Uniquely qualified, she accomplishes the task with insight and
elegance. The book is well-written, timely, and a ‘must-read’ for both scholars and students
interested in the relation of faith and economics.
-- Daniel Finn, Saint John’s
University
While most theological reflections and critiques of
the economy are often sorely deficient in economic understanding, Aquinas and the
Market fills this void, offering careful analysis of the moral thought of Aquinas and
its relevance to economics. Hirschfeld writes with clarity, providing a foundation upon which to
better understand Aquinas’s project on its own terms.
-- Andrew Yuengert, Pepperdine
University
Hirschfeld shows that the rational choice model of
economists is too weak to make coherent sense of human well-being, even in matters economic. She
proposes that we take the best insights of the economists and embed them in a more comprehensive
account of practical reason, such as that of Thomas Aquinas. This kind of thought experiment is
long overdue.
-- Russell Hittinger, University of
Tulsa
Excellent…Lays out a Thomistic approach to mainline
economics.
-- John Ehrett Between Two Kingdoms
Deeply
researched, carefully argued, and provides an important perspective on the prospects of bringing
theology and economics into a productive dialogue. Hirschfeld represents an important voice in
seeking to bring these two distinct fields together in an interdisciplinary manner.
--
James Brumbaugh Reading Religion
