Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Bankrupt Infidel
on Wednesday, December 21, 2016Jean-Jacques Rousseau Money Quote saying of the London stock exchange that all faiths deal as though nothing divides them until they lose their wealth. Jean-Jacques Rousseau said:
“Jew, Mohammedan and Christian deal with each other as though they were all of the same faith, and only apply the word infidel to people who go bankrupt” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Share the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Money quote image above on your site:
Short Link to this Quote:
In this quote, Jean-Jacques Rousseau is commenting on how people of different religious faiths (Jews, Muslims and Christians) often interact and conduct business with one another in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation, despite their theological differences.
However, he notes that the one time these religious labels do seem to matter is when applying the pejorative term “infidel” or non-believer – which is typically used only for those who are financially untrustworthy due to bankruptcy.
The quote suggests that in the economic realm, religious affiliations take a back seat to solvency, with insolvency being the sole instance where faith or lack thereof becomes a distinguishing factor.
Rousseau appears to be critiquing how commerce can undermine religious tolerance by reducing people to creditworthiness above all else.
Birthday: June 28, 1712 – Death: July 2, 1778