Question

German sociologist and political economist Max Weber (1864–1920), in his seminal work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, believed religion to be a precipitator of social change. Critique his approach and argue against his view point to show that changes in religious ideals did not create capitalism.

Answer 1

Critique

The book ' The Protestant ethic and the Spirit of capitalism' is written by a famous German sociologist Max Weber. In this book he tries to emphasise the development of different protestant groups and its influence in the growth process of modern capitalism. Capitalism refers to a socio economic system based on private ownership of resources or capital.

According to Weber the concept ' spirit of capitalism' grown in people' s mind by the teaching of doing the job or one's vocation as a part of his ' call' . Also he stated that Protestant groups especially Calvinism taught the people through doing hard work and perfect performance in the job as a part of honouring God. But these teachings intended to remove the idleness of believers resulting in bad habits( alcoholism and substance abuse, stealing) and make their life in an order.

Before the era of reformation and the appearance of Protestantism itself, there existed the capitalism but in some other forms in most of the countries in the world. Even the knights and the Lords had acres of private properties and farms and many of the workers were working under them.

From the time homosapiens started settled in certain places and started agriculture with the help of primitive form of equipments and weapons, the private ownership started. One of the Weber's view is Protestantism believed that wealth is a blessing from God and you can earn how much ever you want through job or business. But the true Christianity teaches that ' Don't invest in world in the form of materials or money( that will eat by worms or steal) but invest in heaven, that is eternal. No protestant groups are encouraging to grow in wealth instead whatever a person is getting that to be shared. Even Jesus said that it is difficult for a wealthy man to enter into heaven because he might consider money is the big thing than God and it may lead him to many traps in the effort of making money.

Most of the protestant group were encouraging their members to go as missionaries to different countries and rest of the members will work , earn for them and to support these missionaries.

Weber's book is missing with the empirical proof about the influence of Protestantism and spirit of Capitalism. There are some chronological evidences of evolution of capitalism and Protestantism. But one must understand that the Industrial revolution as the result of many new inventions after the Reformation era, contributed to the system of Capitalism not the Protestantism.