Why Dante put bankers in hell and James Joyce didn't

为什么但丁将银行家置于地狱,而詹姆斯·乔伊斯却没有?

Behind the Money

2026-09-12

41 分钟
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Is money a tool of moral decay or a force for human liberation? Dante feared money would corrupt and damn us, placing bankers in the eighth circle of hell - just one above Lucifer. James Joyce saw it as a tool of freedom, and markets and trade as vital engines of connection and social mobility. In this special bonus episode recorded live in front of an audience at the FT Weekend Festival in London, hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth are joined by economist and author David McWilliams to explore humanity’s complex, seductive relationship with finance. From 14th-century Florentine banking and the birth of zero in accounting to Joyce’s Ulysses and modern central banking, they discuss how literature reveals why money animates human progress, and why trade remains humanity’s ultimate alternative to war. Further reading: Money: A Story of Humanity (2024), by David McWilliams Love listening to The Story of Money? Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full episodes on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Guest: David McWilliams Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producer: Michela Tindera Executive Producers: Manuela Saragosa & Kate Ford Original Music and Sound Engineering: Breen Turner Podcast development: Laura Clarke FT global head of audio: Flo Phillips  Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  • In 1898, John Nuveen had a vision to underwrite

  • municipal bonds that would propel American infrastructure into the 20th century.

  • More than 125 years later, that vision lives on.

  • Today, Nuveen has grown into a leading global asset manager with expertise spanning public and private markets,

  • still investing with a future in mind.

  • Nuveen.

  • Invest like the future is watching.

  • Visit nuveen.com slash future to learn more.

  • Investing involves risk.

  • Principal loss is possible.

  • Hello and welcome to a special bonus edition of The Story of Money,

  • the FT's Financial History Show with me, Robin Wigglesworth.

  • And me, Gillian Tett.

  • And today we've got a very special episode for you, which we recorded in front of a brilliant,

  • very enthusiastic live audience at the FT Weekend Festival in London earlier this month.

  • We explored humanity's somewhat warped, hot, cold relationship with money.

  • It's arguably our most seductive technology because the value we ascribe

  • to money is actually just a product of human imagination.

  • And I should say also human trust.

  • Because money is something we collectively choose to believe in.