Beyond Economic Necessity: The Role of Spiritual and Personal Motivati
The answer can be formulated as follows. The texts mentioned show that actions affecting both the economic and religious spheres cannot be explained solely by external economic laws or principles of rationality. The underlying motives are primarily the internal emotional states and moral beliefs of a person, his free will and creative initiative, as well as the ideal aspirations that determine behavior in various areas of life.On the one hand, economic activity is described as a field in which personal drives, such as greed and the pursuit of pleasure, are not subject to inevitable economic laws but depend on individual emotional dispositions. For example, one excerpt states: "Since not only is there no economic law by which the degree of greed and pursuit of pleasure for all people is determined, but there is also no such law by virtue of which these passions would be inevitably inherent in man as the fatal motives of his actions, it follows that, because economic activities and relationships are determined by these emotional dispositions, they have their basis not in the economic realm and are by no means subject to any 'economic laws' necessarily..." (Source: link txt)Another excerpt emphasizes that economy represents "the interaction of freedom, the creative initiative of the individual, and a mechanism of iron necessity," where besides pragmatic drives, idealistic and moral motives are also present. It highlights the importance of personal initiative and inner freedom, as well as the influence of a religious worldview that shapes a person’s values and priorities: "Economy is the interaction of freedom, the creative initiative of the individual, and a mechanism of iron necessity; it is the struggle of the individual against the mechanism of nature and social forms to adapt them to the needs of the human spirit. In short, the economy is led by the master. Here we are already approaching the subject of the present essay. In the human soul, various motives coexist, both selfish and ideal, and political economy should in no way exclude the motives of the second kind. In defining these motives, ideal values must be taken into account, in particular factors such as a general worldview, like religion. Religion as a factor of economic development, since it is a factor in the formation of personality, is thus introduced into the circle of the study of economic life." (Source: link txt)On the other hand, the texts clearly trace that religious motives do not merely accompany economic activity but are part of the deep value system that defines a person’s worldview. It is believed that culture and even economic life are born or “nourished” by faith in a higher power, in the divine meaning of existence. For example, the following reflection is offered: "Every culture is born from a person’s vision of a higher God. And if we look at works of culture, we notice that they reflect faith. Subconsciously, everyone believes. Subconsciously, each of us feels that there is a profound meaning to existence. Our existence and the existence of the world are directly connected with this meaning. A rightly believing person is one who brings this sensation to the level of consciousness." (Source: link txt)Thus, the actions and phenomena described cannot be reduced solely to objective economic conditions or incentives. The underlying motives encompass both pragmatic and ideal aspects of human nature. Economic decisions and actions are determined not only by the necessity to procure the means of life but also by the desire for self-assertion, the search for inner order, and the realization of creative potential, which is closely intertwined with the religious and spiritual sphere, where a person seeks a connection with a higher power and an understanding of eternal values.