Materialism In Canada Essay

Change is inevitable. Society, in specific, has undergone many variations. From the beginning of time, to the current date, it can be difficult to distinguish each and every alteration. Society, in itself, is fluid. It is constantly evolving alongside time. Karl Polanyi identifies the emergence of market society as the greatest and most significant change. He proceeded to elaborate his findings in The Great Transformation, where he provided a clear contrast between the pre-modern economic system and the market economy. Similarly, Robert Heilbroner, author of The Economic Problem, and James Rinehart, who wrote Alienation and the Development of Industrial Capitalism in Canada, also successfully recognized the major differences of the emerged

A self-regulated economy based on prices and capitalism arose. This was the commencement of the market society (Polanyi, 1957, 43). The ultimate goal became the maximization of profit margins, driving people through profitability. The market economy and market society must run correspondingly in order to function. For this reason, as Polanyi discussed, it is significant to recognize the three fictitious commodities that must be organized in the market, as they are bought and sold. Land, being the first, is not man-mad but it part of nature. This commodity was converted into a housing market to produce rent. Following land is labour, and labour is human activity that adapted to yield wages. The third commodity is money, utterly a “token of purchasing power” (Polanyi, 1957, 72), altered to generate interest and capital. These commodities work in favour of

Before capitalistic times, religion and economic activity were incompatible (Bendix, 1962,57). A rich man cannot be religious and is condemned to go to hell. Following this traditionalism, a new economic order was established. The protestant ethic was an entirely different view in society, as it commenced by protesting parts of Catholicism. Accordingly, the Catholic church was corrupted by magical and nonsensical means to conquer salvation. The new ethic was developed by commercial spirit, aptitude for commerce and industry, fit the industrial lifestyle, oppressed Catholics who did not conform, and protestants sects had been known for their wealth and piety. Areas conforming to the new ethic were recognized to be the wealthiest. Bendix analyzed the 3 concepts of Protestantism including Puritanism, a stronger form of Protestantism. He began with the concept of predestination. The belief was that God had already determined the individual’s inescapable place in society. In order to ensure God’s favour, one must work hard. This duty is the ultimate method to express devotion for god. One must fortify work into hard-work, to generate wealth and profit. Moving on, the next concept is the idea of repose. This is the belief that the individual must not rest until death, as happiness is based on God. Lastly, is the concept of time. In Protestantism, time