SOC 3113 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Protestant Work Ethic, Asceticism, Deontological Ethics
Document Summary
The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Masterfully captures: (1) the rationalizing tendencies so prevalent in western society (2) the role of ideas in shaping them. Disclaimer: greatly simplified overview of a very complex argument. Marx: property relations and the process of production. Weber: the extraordinary methodical attitude that characterized protestant ascetism. Other forms of capitalism had existed before. Western capitalism is based on rational organization of labor. Traces origin of this rationality to body of religious ideas: calvinism. Branch of ascetic protestantism: asceticism - living without material goods, focused on needs, john calvin, 16th and 17th century, rational economic conduct emerged out of. Quality of religious calling found in calvinism: predestination, only a small portion of people (the elect) chosen by god for eternal grace. Chosen before any of us were born: no one knew who elect was, nothing you could do to be saved. Those who did not cooperate were punished.
