"In Confidence Games, Mark C. Taylor extends the philosophy of culture that he has been developing for more than three decades to consider the implications of these phenomena for our digital and increasingly virtual economy. According to Taylor, money and markets do not exist in a vacuum but grow in a profoundly cultural medium, reflecting and in turn shaping their world. To understand the recent changes in our economy, therefore, it is not enough to analyze the impact of politics and technology - one must consider the influence of art, philosophy, and religion on markets as well." "Bringing John Calvin, Hegel and Adam Smith to Wall Street by way of Las Vegas, Taylor first explores the historical and psychological origins of money, the importance of religious beliefs and practices for the emergence of markets, and the unexpected role of religion and art in the classical understanding of economics. He then moves to an account of economic developments during the past four decades, exploring the dawn of our new information age, the growing virtuality of money and markets, and the complexity of the networks by which monetary value is now negotiated."--BOOK JACKET.