There is, in point of practical morality, not much to
choose, e. g., between the upper-class medieval Christianity
and the contemporary Mohammedan morality.
Although it might be difficult for contemporary readers to comprehend, in 1910, when T Veblen composed this article, “Christian Morality and the Competitive System,” Islam lay fairly soundly defeated as a comprehensive political-social-cultural form. It is therefore all the more remarkable that Veblen recognized a kinship between attitudes entertained by upper-class medieval Christians and early twentieth century Muslims with regard to the principle of non-resistance. It was, or so Veblen theorized, the subjected classes that embraced the Christian principle of non-resistance. In a kind of back-handed way, therefore, Veblen is crediting early twentieth century Muslims with the forward-looking, advanced, perspective of the master, who refuses to be mastered and refuses to embrace non-resistance.
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