“The Passions and the Interests” by Albert O Hirschman

I am currently pondering whether or not to start work on a new long-term writing project about the idea of a ‘work ethic’ and the extent to which (a) we are losing it, (b) how this is linked to reduced levels of productivity and (c) what can be done to address the issue. It will require a huge amount of reading and note-taking over a long period, and may not be an interest I am able to sustain long enough to write a whole book. But I am enjoying the contributions I have read so far.

Albert Hirschman (1915–2012) was an extraordinary academic thinker whose interests ranged quite widely. Being a lecturer in the field of human resource management, I have long been familiar with his book ‘Exit, Voice and Loyalty’ and now I am pleased to have read this work which is a similarly thought-provoking and closely-argued contribution.

The 'Passions and the Interests' concerns the change in value systems that occurred from around the mid-fifteenth century through until the end of the eighteenth century in Europe.

Put very crudely, people became less admiring of warriors and classic hero figures (ie: people driven by passions), and started instead to admire and look to emulate people who built businesses and worked hard (ie: those driven by interests). The conjecture is that this shift in values can not simply be explained (as Max Weber looked to) by the rise of Protestantism. Hirschman agrees that it was a factor, but suggests that the start of the shift pre-dated Luther's reformation and that it can be explained in part by the evolution of rational thought about how best to govern a society. The best way of reigning in glory-seeking warrior princes was to direct their energies to nurturing commerce so as to enrich both themselves and their people.

The long-term development of this thinking is traced here from Machiavelli, through Francis Bacon, Montesquieu and others, concluding with Adam Smith and the widespread acceptance that societies as a whole benefit when individuals pursue the creation of wealth in their own interest.

The rise of capitalism and of a commercial mindset more generally that fuelled economic development around the world over the past four hundred years, cannot thus simply be explained by shifts in religious belief and practice. The process was much more complex and owed a lot to the influence of renaissance and enlightenment philosophers who argued that interests should trump passions.