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Az elvakultság ökonómiája
[The economy of mental infatuation]

Author

Listed:
  • Hámori, Balázs

Abstract

A szerte a világban - Magyarországon is - mind jobban terjedő szekták az utóbbi időben nemcsak a szociológusok vagy teológusok kutatási tárgyai, de a közgazdászok figyelmét is magukra vonták. Első pillantásra ugyanis nehezen fér össze a racionálisan cselekvő homo oeconomicus feltételezésével az a tény, hogy a híveiktől nagy áldozatokat, önfeladást, lemondást követelő, olykor társadalmi kiközösítést is kiváltó mikroközösségek sokszor igen sikeresek, s tagjaik száma - az általános szekularizációs trendek ellenére - gyorsan gyarapodik. A szekták némelyikére jellemző kérlelhetetlenség, elvakultság csak látszólag irracionális. Valójában a magas belépési költségek és áldozatok a potyautasok kiszűrését szolgálják. A hit ugyanis közjószág, amelynek kínálata - más közjószágokéhoz hasonlóan - elégtelen lenne, ha a vallási közösséget potyautasok gyengítenék. A szekták nem csupán elvesznek tagjaiktól, hanem nyújtanak is számukra valamit: a tág értelemben vett üdvjavakat, amelyek fogalma messze többet foglal magában a közös hitnél és a transzcendentális élményeknél. Az üdvjavak nagyon is evilági szükségleteket elégítenek ki. A cikk végén a szerző érinti e különleges vallási csoportok növekedési és egyensúlyi problémáit. Mások választása pozitív externális hatást gyakorol a szektákhoz csatlakozóra, minél többen választanak tehát egy ilyen közösséget, annál valószínűbb, hogy a jövőben is többen fogják választani. Ugyanakkor a szekták növekedése növeli a potyautasok megjelenésének esélyét, amely állapot újabb szekták, újabb mozgalmak után kiált.

Suggested Citation

  • Hámori, Balázs, 1995. "Az elvakultság ökonómiája [The economy of mental infatuation]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(9), pages 860-870.
    • Handle: RePEc:ksa:szemle:47
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory

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