Microeconomics and Exegesis

Religion is one of humanity’s most important cultural achievements, and it continues to have a great influence on people’s lives, even to this day. At the same time, however, it is a puzzling phenomenon: Religious teachings often contradict the rational insights of modern science. Numerous attempts have therefore been made throughout the history of humankind to overcome this conflict. This book presents a new interpretation method for religion based on microeconomic theory. Microeconomics is the field of economics that describes human behavior using theoretical models. In the recent past, various branches of microeconomics have emerged, each of which investigates specific aspects of human behavior. One of these branches is the economics of religion, which specializes in describing and explaining religious activities. However, the actual meaning of religious teachings and rituals has not yet been considered in these approaches. The interpretation method used in this book offers a key to understanding religious texts and rituals. For illustration purposes, examples from various world and tribal religions are presented and explained. The microeconomic exegesis enables a rational perspective on religion and can contribute to the reconciliation of faith and reason.