Wim Decock – författare

To understand the genesis of the modern economy, we must also investigate its normative foundations. More than a century after Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, the pursuit of this key methodological intuition remains unfinished. This book revisits the legacy of a neglected protagonist in the history of economic thought: Leonardus Lessius (1554-1623). Lessius' work provides unique insight into the normative roots of modern economic thought. In a context characterised by the globalization of trade, the rise of stock exchanges, and profound political and religious upheavals, merchants, bankers, and princes eagerly sought his advice to navigate the New World. Praised by Joseph A. Schumpeter as a 'father of modern economic analysis', Lessius became known in his own time as the 'Oracle of the Netherlands'. His main treatise, 'On Justice and Law', quickly gained the status of a reference work due to the clarity of its economic observations and Lessius' brilliant mastery of legal and moral reasoning. He offered practical solutions to a wide range of cases of conscience related to speculation, insurance, insider trading, subprime debt, interest-taking, abuse of market power, monopolies, public banks, safe investment vehicles, and many other economic and financial issues. It certainly was not his intention to turn the whole world into a competitive market without any limits as Lessius deplored humanity's inclination to succumb to the 'sacred hunger for gold'. However, he did wish to encourage effort, hard work and clever dealings, thus contributing significantly to the normative justification of modern commerce and finance. In a time marked as much by fierce debates on grace and free will as by doubts about the legitimacy of the first global economy, Lessius offers a glimpse into the interconnectedness between ideas on spiritual salvation and material prosperity.

To understand the genesis of the modern economy, we must also investigate its normative foundations. More than a century after Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, the pursuit of this key methodological intuition remains unfinished. This book revisits the legacy of a neglected protagonist in the history of economic thought: Leonardus Lessius (1554-1623). Lessius' work provides unique insight into the normative roots of modern economic thought. In a context characterised by the globalization of trade, the rise of stock exchanges, and profound political and religious upheavals, merchants, bankers, and princes eagerly sought his advice to navigate the New World. Praised by Joseph A. Schumpeter as a 'father of modern economic analysis', Lessius became known in his own time as the 'Oracle of the Netherlands'. His main treatise, 'On Justice and Law', quickly gained the status of a reference work due to the clarity of its economic observations and Lessius' brilliant mastery of legal and moral reasoning. He offered practical solutions to a wide range of cases of conscience related to speculation, insurance, insider trading, subprime debt, interest-taking, abuse of market power, monopolies, public banks, safe investment vehicles, and many other economic and financial issues. It certainly was not his intention to turn the whole world into a competitive market without any limits as Lessius deplored humanity's inclination to succumb to the 'sacred hunger for gold'. However, he did wish to encourage effort, hard work and clever dealings, thus contributing significantly to the normative justification of modern commerce and finance. In a time marked as much by fierce debates on grace and free will as by doubts about the legitimacy of the first global economy, Lessius offers a glimpse into the interconnectedness between ideas on spiritual salvation and material prosperity.

To understand the genesis of the modern economy, we must also investigate its normative foundations. More than a century after Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, the pursuit of this key methodological intuition remains unfinished. This book revisits the legacy of a neglected protagonist in the history of economic thought: Leonardus Lessius (1554-1623). Lessius' work provides unique insight into the normative roots of modern economic thought. In a context characterised by the globalization of trade, the rise of stock exchanges, and profound political and religious upheavals, merchants, bankers, and princes eagerly sought his advice to navigate the New World. Praised by Joseph A. Schumpeter as a 'father of modern economic analysis', Lessius became known in his own time as the 'Oracle of the Netherlands'. His main treatise, 'On Justice and Law', quickly gained the status of a reference work due to the clarity of its economic observations and Lessius' brilliant mastery of legal and moral reasoning. He offered practical solutions to a wide range of cases of conscience related to speculation, insurance, insider trading, subprime debt, interest-taking, abuse of market power, monopolies, public banks, safe investment vehicles, and many other economic and financial issues. It certainly was not his intention to turn the whole world into a competitive market without any limits as Lessius deplored humanity's inclination to succumb to the 'sacred hunger for gold'. However, he did wish to encourage effort, hard work and clever dealings, thus contributing significantly to the normative justification of modern commerce and finance. In a time marked as much by fierce debates on grace and free will as by doubts about the legitimacy of the first global economy, Lessius offers a glimpse into the interconnectedness between ideas on spiritual salvation and material prosperity.

What impact has Christianity had on law and policies in the Lowlands from the eleventh century through the end of the twentieth century? Taking the gradual 'secularization' of European legal culture as a framework, this volume explores the lives and times of twenty legal scholars and professionals to study the historical impact of the Christian faith on legal and political life in the Low Countries. The process whereby Christian belief systems gradually lost their impact on the regulation of secular affairs passed through several stages, not in the least the Protestant Reformation, which led to the separation of the Low Countries in a Protestant North and a Catholic South in the first place. The contributions take up general issues such as the relationship between justice and mercy, Christianity and politics as well as more technical topics of state-church law, criminal law and social policy.

What impact has Christianity had on law and policies in the Lowlands from the eleventh century through the end of the twentieth century? Taking the gradual ''secularization'' of European legal culture as a framework, this volume explores the lives and times of twenty legal scholars and professionals to study the historical impact of the Christian faith on legal and political life in the Low Countries. The process whereby Christian belief systems gradually lost their impact on the regulation of secular affairs passed through several stages, not in the least the Protestant Reformation, which led to the separation of the Low Countries in a Protestant North and a Catholic South in the first place. The contributions take up general issues such as the relationship between justice and mercy, Christianity and politics as well as more technical topics of state-church law, criminal law and social policy.

What impact has Christianity had on law and policies in the Lowlands from the eleventh century through the end of the twentieth century? Taking the gradual ''secularization'' of European legal culture as a framework, this volume explores the lives and times of twenty legal scholars and professionals to study the historical impact of the Christian faith on legal and political life in the Low Countries. The process whereby Christian belief systems gradually lost their impact on the regulation of secular affairs passed through several stages, not in the least the Protestant Reformation, which led to the separation of the Low Countries in a Protestant North and a Catholic South in the first place. The contributions take up general issues such as the relationship between justice and mercy, Christianity and politics as well as more technical topics of state-church law, criminal law and social policy.

This book explores the tensions between the religious and legal principles of Islamic finance and Islamic banking in practice. It does not limit itself to a legal discussion and presents a truly interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogue between lawyers, theologians, and economists with roots in academia and practice. There is considerable divergence in their evaluation of the status quo and future of Islamic finance.Contributions cover aspects of Islamic finance in theory and practice. It provides insights into the interplay of religion, ethics and finance covering both the Islamic and Christian traditions that sets the scene for Islamic finance in practice: economic technicalities of Islamic banking services, its regulatory aspects, and the complex legal arrangements of Islamic finance in non-Muslim-majority countries. Islamic Finance is a truly international collaboration of outstanding scholars and practitioners in their field that reveals the complexities involved in applying religious principles and legal theory to the daily practice of business and finance.

Die Untersuchungen zur frühneuzeitlichen Scholastik erleben gerade eine Hochkonjunktur. Juristen, Philosophen, Theologen und Wirtschaftswissenschaftler nähern sich je nach eigener Perspektive den Texten der "Spanischen Spätscholastiker" oder "katholischen Naturrechtler" an. Neuanfänger wie auch Experten erhalten in diesem Band neben Hilfsmitteln zur eigenständigen Quellenforschung auch einen fächerübergreifenden Einblick in den Forschungsstand.

Die Untersuchungen zur frühneuzeitlichen Scholastik erleben gerade eine Hochkonjunktur. Juristen, Philosophen, Theologen und Wirtschaftswissenschaftler nähern sich je nach eigener Perspektive den Texten der "Spanischen Spätscholastiker" oder "katholischen Naturrechtler" an. Neuanfänger wie auch Experten erhalten in diesem Band neben Hilfsmitteln zur eigenständigen Quellenforschung auch einen fächerübergreifenden Einblick in den Forschungsstand.

Die in diesem Band vereinigten Beiträge untersuchen die Bedeutung der religiösen Reformbewegungen ab dem 16. Jahrhundert für die moderne Rechtsentwicklung an einem spezifischen Gegenstand: am Rechtsstatus der in allen Konfessionen aktuellen Berufung auf das Gewissen. So führt der Band sonst oft separat betriebene Forschungen über die Traditionsbildung in und nach den Lehren lutherischer, calvinischer und römisch-katholischer Theologen und Juristen des 16., 17. und frühen 18. Jahrhunderts exemplarisch vergleichend zusammen. Insbesondere gehen die Untersuchungen der Frage nach, inwiefern die konfessionell geprägten Rechtslehren miteinander in Wechselwirkung standen. Sie umfassen Themen zu Rechtskonzepten des Gewissens sowie zu ihrer Umsetzung in den Lehren vom Öffentlichen Recht und vom Kirchenrecht aus theologie-, rechts- und philosophiegeschichtlichen Perspektiven.The essays joined in this volume investigate the role of the religious reform movements since the 16th century in the transformation of the Western legal tradition, focussing on a particular topic: how Jurisprudence had to deal with the reference to conscience, virulent for all confessional positions. Research on the teachings of Lutheran, Calvinist, and Roman Catholic theologians and jurists from the 16th up to the early 18th century, most often examined separately, is brought together in a comparative perspective. The essays comprise studies on legal concepts of conscience and on their implementation in the teachings in Public Law and in Canon or Ecclesiastical Law from the perspectives of theology, law, and philosophy.

Wim Decockcollects contributions by internationally renowned experts in law, history and religion on the impact of the Reformations on law, jurisprudence and moral theology. The overall impression conveyed by the essays is that on the level of substantive doctrine (the legal teachings) there seems to be more continuity between Protestant and Catholic, or, for that matter, between medieval and early modern jurisprudence and theology than usually expected. As it is illustrated with regards to topics ranging from just war doctrine over business ethics to marriage law, at the very least there appears to have been an on-going conversation between jurists and theologians across the confessional divide. This does not prevent some contributions from highlighting that on the institutional level, for instance in university politics, radical tensions between Reformers and Counter-Reformers played a paramount role. This book also offers approaches to the relationship between Church(es) and State(s) in the early modern period and to the practical as well as doctrinal use of natural law in both Protestant and Catholic lands.

Das vierbändige „Handbuch zur Geschichte der Konfliktlösung in Europa“ beschäftigt sich mit rechtlichen und außerrechtlichen Wegen der Entscheidung von Konflikten zwischen einzelnen Menschen sowie zwischen Personen und ihren Obrigkeiten. Das von Expertinnen und Experten aus vielen europäischen Ländern geschriebene Handbuch soll als zentrales Referenzmedium für die historische Dimension aller Aspekte der Streitentscheidung dienen.Der Aufbau des Werks orientiert sich an den vier Epochen Antike, Mittelalter, Frühe Neuzeit und 19./20. Jahrhundert.Nach einer Einführung in die jeweilige Epoche werden die für den Zeitabschnitt kennzeichnenden Akteure, Verfahren und Institutionen vorgestellt sowie Kernfragen und Zentralprobleme der Streitentscheidung in zeittypischen Konfliktfeldern behandelt. Die europäische Perspektive des Handbuchs schlägt sich in Überblicken zu einzelnen Ländern, Regionen und Rechtskulturen nieder. Ausführliche Hinweise auf die weiterführende Literatur runden die Darstellung ab. Der vorliegende Band 3 umfasst Beiträge zur Frühen Neuzeit.

Das vierbändige „Handbuch zur Geschichte der Konfliktlösung in Europa“ beschäftigt sich mit rechtlichen und außerrechtlichen Wegen der Entscheidung von Konflikten zwischen einzelnen Menschen sowie zwischen Personen und ihren Obrigkeiten. Das von Expertinnen und Experten aus vielen europäischen Ländern geschriebene Handbuch soll als zentrales Referenzmedium für die historische Dimension aller Aspekte der Streitentscheidung dienen.

Der Aufbau des Werks orientiert sich an den vier Epochen Antike, Mittelalter, Frühe Neuzeit und 19./20. Jahrhundert.

Nach einer Einführung in die jeweilige Epoche werden die für den Zeitabschnitt kennzeichnenden Akteure, Verfahren und Institutionen vorgestellt sowie Kernfragen und Zentralprobleme der Streitentscheidung in zeittypischen Konfliktfeldern behandelt. Die europäische Perspektive des Handbuchs schlägt sich in Überblicken zu einzelnen Ländern, Regionen und Rechtskulturen nieder. Ausführliche Hinweise auf die weiterführende Literatur runden die Darstellung ab. Der vorliegende Band 3 umfasst Beiträge zur Frühen Neuzeit.

Das vierbändige Werk „Handbuch zur Geschichte der Konfliktlösung in Europa“ wurde von namhaften internationalen Expertinnen und Experten geschrieben und dient als zentrales Referenzmedium für die historische Dimension aller Formen der Streitentscheidung. Der Aufbau orientiert sich an den vier Epochen Antike, Mittelalter, Frühe Neuzeit und 19./20. Jahrhundert. Zugleich wird eine europäische Perspektive eingenommen, die sich sowohl in den einzelnen Kapiteln als auch in speziellen Länderforschungsberichten niederschlägt. Nach einer Einführung in die jeweilige Epoche werden einerseits Konfliktlösungsmodelle und  -institutionen sowie andererseits Kernfragen und Zentralprobleme behandelt. Rechtshistorische Dokumente runden die Darstellung ab.

The Roman legal tradition is the ancestor of modern contract law but there is no agreement as to how and when a general law of contract emerged. Wim Decock’s thesis is that an important step in this evolution was taken by theologians in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They transformed the Roman legal tradition (ius commune) by insisting on the moral foundations of contract law. Theologians emphasized that the enforceability of contracts is based on voluntary consent and that a contract should not enrich one party at another's expense. While their main concern was the salvation of souls, theologians played a key role in the development of a systematic contract law in which the founding principles were freedom and fairness.Theologians and Contract Law is winner of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Preis 2014 (German Research Foundation) as well as the Raymond Derine Prijs 2012 (Raymond Derine PhD Prize) and the ASL-Prijs Humane Wetenschappen 2012 (ASL Award for Humanities 2012) by the Academische Stichting Leuven. Decock's book is also awarded the "Juristisches Buch des Jahres" (Law book of the year) by Neue Juristische Wochenschrift (47/2013: 3420).

The Roman legal tradition is the ancestor of modern contract law but there is no agreement as to how and when a general law of contract emerged. Wim Decock’s thesis is that an important step in this evolution was taken by theologians in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They transformed the Roman legal tradition (ius commune) by insisting on the moral foundations of contract law. Theologians emphasized that the enforceability of contracts is based on voluntary consent and that a contract should not enrich one party at another's expense. While their main concern was the salvation of souls, theologians played a key role in the development of a systematic contract law in which the founding principles were freedom and fairness.Theologians and Contract Law is winner of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Preis 2014 (German Research Foundation) as well as the Raymond Derine Prijs 2012 (Raymond Derine PhD Prize) and the ASL-Prijs Humane Wetenschappen 2012 (ASL Award for Humanities 2012) by the Academische Stichting Leuven. Decock's book is also awarded the "Juristisches Buch des Jahres" (Law book of the year) by Neue Juristische Wochenschrift (47/2013: 3420).