Introduction: Market, Ethics and Religion

The conflict between unlimited needs and scarce resources means that some restrictions on human behaviour become necessary, and regulation has always been an important part of every society. Many different institutions, e.g., ethics, religion, and markets, can directly or indirectly regulate the interrelation between people, and between people and society. The interplay between these institutions is, however, very complicated and an important part of the public debate. To get a solid foundation for analysing these fundamental topics, scientific insight from different disciplines is a necessity; social science, humanities and theology all play an important role.