Introduction
In his widely read piece of work, The Protestant ethic and the spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber defines the problem he intends to pursue in part one of the book; he tries to establish the link between the general ideals of capitalism and the ethical issues that underlie Protestants. He discusses, in broad terms, the empirical evidence that defines economic prowess of the Protestants as compared to Catholics and also postulates theories from such evidence.
Religious Affiliations and Social Stratifications
In this part of his problem identification and statement, Max Weber looks at the economic differences in the society and tries to compare this with the different religious groups that exist amongst the various social classes. He begins by stating that the elites in the German society, amongst them businessmen, skilled workforce, and technicians are majorly Protestants (Weber 3). He delves deeper into the circumstances that underlie such observations, and he observed that even before the reformation of the Catholic Church, societies that tended to depart from traditionalism had shown greater economic prowess, and this was probably inherited by the Protestants who also delinked from the Catholic Church, representing traditionalism. He, however, notes that reformation did not eliminate the role of the church but rather reformed how the church controlled people’s lives (Weber 40).
The Spirit of Capitalism
In this part, Weber tries to define the term “the spirit of capitalism.” He uses a long excerpt from Benjamin Franklin to illustrate his position on wealth and money and alludes to the fact that he, Benjamin Franklin, aptly determined the modern day spirit of capitalism. From the excerpt, Benjamin Franklin states that money begets money and its offspring beget more (Weber 15). Weber, however, appreciates that capitalism existed in the past in India, China, and Babylon and in middle age, but the ethical subset of it, as was portrayed by Benjamin Franklin, was nonexistent then (Weber 17). Weber then contrasts traditionalism and the modern spirit of capitalism which derived its ethos from the attitude of Benjamin Franklin. Traditionalism would consider profit-seeking motives as greed and would be denounced, however, in states like Massachusetts, this motive to seek profit existed around 1632 (Weber 20), even before the rise of Benjamin Franklin’s famous attitude promoting and defining the spirit of capitalism.
Luther's Conception of the Calling. Task of the Investigation.
In this chapter, Weber looks at the reformation activities of the Protestants and the relationship it had with worldly activities. He begins by defining the word “calling,” and he states that the concept of “calling” existed for Protestant but not to the Catholics. “Calling” meant that man was tasked by God to do certain things in the society, and Luther also believed in this. However, the “calling” that initially existed only meant dedication to serving God. Reformation, which Luther actively participated in, redefined the traditionalism concept of “calling.” According to Protestants, participation in worldly activities like business and labor are part of God’s purpose for individuals in the world (Weber 41). Reformation hence brought worldly activities into religious practices and carried with it the spirit of capitalism to the Protestant.
Conclusion
Max Weber has aptly, through evidence and theory formation, tried to link the reformation and the abandonment of traditionalism by Protestants to the rise and acceptance of the spirit of capitalism amongst the Protestants. Catholics are hence left as traditionalists who have maintained service to God as was initially perceived and not as later redefined by Protestant through reformation to include worldly activities.
Work Cited
Weber, Max. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York: Taylor & Francis E-library, 2005. Print.
