The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Routledge Classics)

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Routledge Classics)
Max Weber | 2001-05-23 00:00:00 | Routledge | 320 | Social Sciences
Max Weber's best-known and most controversial work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, first published in 1904, remains to this day a powerful and fascinating read. Weber's highly accessible style is just one of many reasons for his continuing popularity. The book contends that the Protestant ethic made possible and encouraged the development of capitalism in the West.
Reviews
In Weber's classic work, he connects the Protestant Reformation with the rise in modern-day capitalism - the two, according to Weber, are essentially linked together. The Reformation introduced core elements upon which capitalism is built. For example the idea that the individual has rights associated with responsibility is a fundamental element of the Reformation - no longer is the Catholic Church solely responsible for the spiritual development of an individual, he must be responsible himself...every member a minister concept. Well, that's essential for the promulgation of capitalism as well - it's not the responsibility of the state, it's the reasonability of the individual to make a profit or lose capital in the process. The individual was kept stable and protected under the thumb of the Catholic Church, according to Weber, and the Reformation has freed the individual to take risks and stake their claim in life. Weber also notes that the Catholic Church promoted religious piety, a quiet and subdued worship within the walls of the sanctuary while the Reformation released people to worship with zeal and passion in the fields and through his labors.
Reviews
Max Weber's seminal articles on the spirit (if not the origin) of capitalism, first issued in 1904 and 1905 and then jointly published around 1920, have stirred as much debate as any other sociological texts save Marx. Indeed, this is a work weighted with rep, not all of it deserved. In and of itself, "Protestant Ethic" perhaps does not date undamaged, but it does retain considerable power, conceptually and theoretically if not statistically. Of greatest concern to many readers today, particularly students caught in the web of a professor assigning the text, is the ability of the steward of a given edition to craft a package that can be readily assimilated.



I give you: Talcott Parsons. Not only is Mr. Parsons a gifted translator (for this is a work which has frequently lost much in translation), he also has the presence of mind to give over the introduction to an equally gifted Weberian scholar. Mr. Anthony Giddens beautifully sets the table for the main course, the taste of which is much more pleasant (and identifiable) in the light of his prefacing. Now, scholars may wage wars over whether he sets the table correctly, but that's a debate for another forum. For our purposes here, this is as well-translated and accessible a package of this work as you're going to find. I certainly grasped it, well and enjoyably. And if I can, lord knows anyone can!
Reviews
Max Weber contends that the spirit of capitalism is not greed and consumption, but the creation of order and the best use of resources. He further discovered that in his country (Germany), Protestants tend to be wealthier and better educated than the Catholics because Protestants showed a special tendency to develop "economic rationalism"; that is, a particular approach to creating wealth that was less focused on the gain of comfort than on the pursuit of profit itself. The general outlook on life and work that the early protestants sects drew from their belief made them singularly well adapted to modern capitalism. They brought to it: (1). A desire for progress; (2). A love of hard work for its own sake; (3). Orderliness, punctuality and honesty; (4). Belief in a calling on proving one's faith in worldly activity; etc. In sum, Weber showed how character traits, strongly shaped by religion, could play a massive role in the creation of wealth.
Reviews
When feudalism broke down in the Late Middle Ages, Weber argues, the capitalism that emerged in its place was an entirely new ethos, accompanied by a peculiar Puritan ethic that dignified the accumulation of wealth as a sign of divine favor. The "spirit" of capitalism was distinct from the impulse to acquisition, which was nothing new in the 16th century. It was the pursuit of perpetually-renewed profit, for its own sake, above and beyond the satisfaction of traditional human needs. But what was driving this pursuit of perpetual profits? The religious concept of "calling," says Weber, the idea that worldly activity is morally good if it is what God has called us to do. This concept contrasted with earlier Christian renunciation of worldly affairs in favor of monastic contemplation of God.



Just as worldly wealth was a sign of God's favor, poverty became shameful, indicating rejection of God's calling. The unequal distribution of the goods of this world was ordained by God's inscrutable Providence, said Calvinists. Therefore charity became meaningless, in sharp contrast to the teachings of St. Paul, who called it the greatest of virtues. Said John Wesley, "We must exhort all Christians to gain all they can, and to save all they can; that is, in effect, to grow rich." Said Jesus, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." Is there a disconnect between Calvinist Protestantism and the teachings of Jesus? You decide.



The socio-economic preconditions for capitalism existed in other parts of the world, argues Weber; why did it arise only in the Protestant West? His thesis has long been controversial, but its relevance to current events makes it worthy of consideration.
Reviews
There are already many good reviews to this book, so I will only suggest reading the following books in addition to Weber's work: 1) "The passions and the interests" by Albert Hirschman; 2) "The mind and the market: capitalism in Western thought" by Jerry Muller; 3) "The Spirit of Capitalism: Nationalism and Economic Growth" by Liah Greenfeld; 4) 4.1. and 4.2: "The world economy. A millennial perspective" (2001) plus "The world economy: Historical Statistics" (2003) by Angus Maddison; 5) "The Churching Of America, 1776-2005: Winners And Losers In Our Religious Economy" by Roger Finke and Rodney Stark ; and 6) "Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium" by Ronald Findlay and Kevin H. O'Rourke.

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