SOCY 122 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Protestant Work Ethic, Orthodox Marxism, Economic Determinism
15 Jun 2018
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THE PROTESTANT ETHIC AND THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM
November 7, 2016
The Protestant Ethic:
- Two methodological extremes in German social thought
- Historical School vs. Orthodox Marxism
o Rejects ideographic history
o Rejects economic determinism – ideas and meaning mater (religious ideas)
- Weber establishes his own position
o Biography, history, social structure
- Reciprocal influences among material foundation, forms of social and political
organizations, and various spiritual streams of the Reformation
o Studying the real social world of which the economy is an essential part
o Role of institutionalized practices and institutionalized life structures and the
relationship between the two.
o Can see the mental streams that come from the Reformation
o What is the influence and the ideas of religion on the way people understand the
world around them
- First—examine the elective affinities [Wahlverwandtschaften] between religious beliefs
and vocational ethic
o See influence of religion on economic culture
▪ Superstructure influencing the infrastructure
o See direction of influence – the elective affinities/kinship/relationship can be
clarified
o Wahlverwandtschaften – kinship/relationship
- Second—only after this is done – attempt to estimate to what degree do the ideas of
modern life stem from religious forces within the Reformation, and to what degree to
other forces
o Focus on the role of religion in establishing a particular frame of mind
- Historical periods may be identified with particular “frames of mind” – dominant belief
systems (ideologies)
- “Geist des Kapitalismus [the spirit, mind, culture, ethos of capitalism]” is critical to the
modern period – the dominant belief system or mindset
- A complex reality – treated in a Pure Type manner
o Establish pure types to break down the analysis and make it very clear
- The “Spirit of Modern Capitalism” is a key one – a “spirit” (mindset) that Weber links to
goal-rational action
- A cold, dispassionate, calculating, instrumental reason
o Where did it come from?
- To what extend does it stem from religion, or from the Reformation from other forms of
meaningful social action?
- Begins with Benjamin Franklin’s maxims
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Document Summary
The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Two methodological extremes in german social thought. Orthodox marxism: rejects ideographic history, rejects economic determinism ideas and meaning mater (religious ideas) Weber establishes his own position: biography, history, social structure. First examine the elective affinities [wahlverwandtschaften] between religious beliefs and vocational ethic: see influence of religion on economic culture, superstructure influencing the infrastructure, see direction of influence the elective affinities/kinship/relationship can be clarified, wahlverwandtschaften kinship/relationship. Historical periods may be identified with particular frames of mind dominant belief systems (ideologies) Geist des kapitalismus [the spirit, mind, culture, ethos of capitalism] is critical to the modern period the dominant belief system or mindset. A complex reality treated in a pure type manner: establish pure types to break down the analysis and make it very clear. The spirit of modern capitalism is a key one a spirit (mindset) that weber links to goal-rational action.
