Max Weber’s outlines his views on religion and capitalism in his book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Weber held the important theory that an individual’s views are significant in promoting social change, not material things as believed by former theorists. In his work, Weber compares two waves of “the calling” as preached by different Protestant leaders and describes the teaching and spread of ascetic beliefs in followers. This paper considers the context of the calling, explores the outward signs of grace which helped develop capitalism and, lastly, how capitalism, through rationalization, transformed Calvinist ideals for its advancement. According to Weber’s findings individualistic views arose through Protestant beliefs. Martin Luther, a Protestant leader in the 16th century, presents the calling as a means to encourage followers to live honorable lives devoted to God; as a dutiful follower, an individual is to worship and not please God. Righteous followers were content with their calling and the lives God intended for them. Luther also instilled a passive form of asceticism in his followers that by preaching that they carry a simple lifestyle which accorded with their line of work (Desfor Edles and Appelrouth 2010:168). The meaning of the calling was drastically changed by latter Protestant leaders Calvin and Baxter. They presented the calling as a form of obligation to work for God with no other options. The calling pushed for individuals to lead an ascetic life; that is, work hard and not enjoy the fruit of their labor. Calvinists preached that should a person should work as hard a possible because the amount of wealth earned would determine their salvation and without a calling the individual is seen as worthless in the eyes of God (Weber in Desfor Edles and Appelrouth 2010:176). The calling differed between leaders as Luther’s version of the calling instilled ideas of good morality whereas Calvinists indirectly coerced their followers to work as hard as they could should they want to be saved (Desfor Edles and Appelrouth 2010:168-69). Leading an ascetic lifestyle helped develop capitalism because of the motivation individuals had on working to their utmost potential – they all wanted to be saved. However, there were outward signs of grace that definitely had an impact on how people were encouraged to stay focused – those signs were to acquire wealth and maximize profits by investing their means. These signs helped develop capitalism because asceticism promoted the least amount of spending.
In Martin Luther’s Freedom of a Christian Man, Luther describes what he believes should be the relationship between faith and good works in the life of Christian people. His beliefs became integral to the Protestant and Lutheran ideologies. The basis of Luther’s pamphlet was “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” (31) This central thought provides readers dialogue on what is truly a selfless, act and if these acts do in fact have an effect on one’s
McFague, Sallie. "New House Rules: Christianity, Economics, and Planetary Living."Subverting Greed: Religious Perspectives on the Global Economy. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2002. 125-40. Print.
Martin Luther, was “temperamental, peevish, egomaniacal, and argumentative” (Hooker, www.wsu.edu), but played a pivotal role in history. During Luther's time as a monk, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences. Luther took notice to the corruption and began to reason that men can only get their salvation through Jesus Christ, not the Pope or indulgences, let alone the Church itself. Luther began ...
Based on this segment from Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, it appears that the primary focus of the work was to refute the proposal of “”superstructure” theorists” (Weber in Calhoun 2012: 299), by providing examples to indicate that a capitalist economy is an unnatural social system, and does not unfold as these theorists claim. Weber focuses primarily on Benjamin Franklin as a proponent of Capitalism, (seemingly)
In this essay Martin Luther comments upon the role of good works in a Christian's life and the overall goal of a Christian in his or her walk. He writes seventeen different sections answering the critics of his teachings. I will summarize and address each one of these sections in the following essay.
Martin Luther was a representative during the 16th century of a desire widespread of the renewal and reform of the Catholic Church. He launched the Protestant reform a continuation of the medieval religious search.
...the Puritans and Quakers of the previous two centuries? Could they embody the 'spirit' of capitalism without actually being capitalist? (Henretta) Hernetta states that Weber considered the religions one of the first promoters and the biggest influence in the development of capitalism in America.
1). Weber and Marx views differ when it comes to their interpretations about the origins and dynamics of capitalism, Weber’s view focuses on the Protestant reformation and the spirit of capitalism in the west and how “the widespread influence of Protestantism after the reformation helped explain why full blown rational capitalism developed where and when it did” (Mcintosh pg. 115). Although he doesn’t believe that Protestantism caused for the creation of capitalism he does believe that Calvinism a branch of Protestantism plays a roll due to the effects it shaped upon these people and their protestant ethics. Mcintosh helps to explain that “in such a time the religious forces which express themselves through such channels are the decisive influences in the formation of national character” (Mcintosh pg. 122). In other words due to the asceticism and the spirit of capitalism amongst these religious followers they abstained from various worldly pleasures to obtain their spiritual “calling”. In decreasing pleasures and increasing work, production and profits, they were hopeful that they were increasing their chances of going to heaven due to their belief about predestination which states “in theology, the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others” (www.wikipedia.com). Thus they followed the doctrine precisely, which they believed could possibly decrease their chances of being the individuals who were damned to hell. Although Wesley argued “I fear that wherever riches have increased, the essence of religion has decreased in the same proportion. So although the form of religion remains, the spirit i...
According to Max Weber, the guide line developed by the Protestantism movement influenced the capitalism in different ways. First of all, since Protestant movement created a new religion different from Catholic Church, the church membership created division among people and caused the social classes which characterized the capitalism. In addition, protestant movement promoted the “spirit of hard work, of progress.” (Page11) Since people had to work hard, it was easy for them to accumulate materials and to encourage the materialism spirit. Also, since Catholicism considered the Colling to be a matter of priest or people who work in church activities, the new understanding of this terminology by Martin Luther, as “the fulfilment of worldly duties is under all circumstances the only way to live acceptably,” (Page 41) encouraged each
Ribuffo, L. (1981). Jesus christ as business statesman: bruce barton and the selling of corporate capitalism. American Quarterly, 33(2), 206-231.
Martin Luther’s views on human individualism come from his rebellion against the Catholic Church. Since Luther stressed the idea that salvation comes through faith alone, priests and other clergymen of the church are not necessary, according to Luther. One of the ways that Luther describes becoming a Christian is the distinction between the physical nature and the spiritual nature. Physical nature is an outward, or old man. In contrast, the spiritual nature is a new man, or the soul (9). Luther uses II Cor. 4:16 to describe this process which says, “Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.” This change of heart and nature that Luther describes is done solely by the individual with the help of the Holy Spirit. According to Luther’s writing, the most important aspect of human individualism is an individual’s faith and character. An individual’s character, according to Luther, is de...
Luther preaches grace and in so free choice is abolished, suggesting that divine grace and human freedom are contradictory concepts. Because reconciliation between God and humans is made possible through the death of Jesus, God’s gift, it is foolish to assume that the exercise of freedom could have any relevance to salvation. Human freedom in Luther’s eyes is derived from the notion that individual’s are already saved through God’s righteousness and confirmed with the works of Christ, you are saved because of your possession of faith. "We reach the conclusion that faith alone justifies us and fulfils the laws; and this because faith brings us the spirit gained by the merits of Christ. The spirit, in turn, gives us the happiness and freedom at which the law aims.
Williams, O. F. Catholic Social Teaching: A Communitarian Democratic Capitalism for the New World Order. Journal of Business Ethics, 1993.Vol.12, no.12 p. 919-923.
The wealth that was accumulated through this lifestyle was reinvested into the work process in order to create more wealth. This continual reinvestment of wealth provided the necessary capital and conditions that allowed for the development of modern capitalism. Weber starts out his essay with a few questions that he proposes to try and answer. He notes that European business leaders are overwhelmingly Protestant instead of Catholic. He also notices that the most developed areas of Europe in his time were those that had embraced Protestantism (Weber, 4).
Calvinism is a simple way of life in which you are to do good for others. The way into heaven was to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. The. Work is done not for one’s own personal gain, but for the sake of God.