Weber and the Protestant Ethic

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Weber and the Protestant Ethic

• Susie Scott

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Summary of lecture

• 1. Webers theory compared to Marxs
•  2.    Webers methodological approach
•  3.    Context the rationalisation of society
•  4.    Religion as a basis for capitalism?
• - Protestant beliefs ? value-driven
  economic action
• 5. Comparative research
•  6. Criticisms of the PESC study
• 7. How relevant is Webers theory today?
•  

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Webers social theory

• Compare to Marxs macro level theory (society as
  a structure)
• Webers micro level theory (society as
  individuals interacting)
• Sociology interpretive study of social action
• Social action when the actor attaches
  meaning/significance to their behaviour and
  orients it towards other people.

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Webers methodology

• Verstehen
• interpretive understanding of another persons
  interests and motives.
• Value-relevance
• all research is shaped by the researchers
  beliefs and values

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Webers methodology

• Ideal types
• conceptual tool for analysis
• ideal types of social action affective,
  traditional, value-rational, instrumental-rational
  
• applied to empirical examples of social events
• e.g. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of
  Capitalism as an example of the shift from
  value-rational to instrumental-rational action.

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Religion and social change

• Context of the PESC study Webers concern with a
  wider social trend -
• The rationalisation of society
• Bureaucracy
• Disenchantment

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Religion and social change

• Webers explanation contrasted with other
  classical sociological theories of religion
• Durkheim collective ceremonies to worship
  society
• Marx religion as the opium of the masses
• Debate with the ghost of Marx
• Marx economic base ? religious ideas
  (superstructure)
• Weber ideas and beliefs ? economic action

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The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
(Weber 1904-5)

• Why had capitalism flourished in some societies
  but not others?
• Focus on early modern Europe 16th century
  Protestantism
• Capitalism had developed here because of a
  combination of
• economic forces
• values, beliefs and ideas, and
• technological and administrative systems
• Elective affinity between religious ideas
  (Protestant beliefs) and economic interests (the
  spirit of capitalism)

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The Protestant Ethic (religious beliefs)

• Calvinism form of ascetic Protestantism
• The calling 
• Predestination and the Elect
•  Uncertainty and anxiety- motivation to resolve
  this
•  Searching for signs of salvation
•  Wealth as a sign of Gods favour

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The spirit of capitalism (economic interests)

• Rational pursuit of wealth through the
  accumulation of profit
• Trying to maximise profits rather than just earn
  enough to subsist
• Reinvesting money rather than spending it
• Benjamin Franklin advice for the capitalist
  entrepreneur
• o     Time is money
• o     Money breeds money
• o     Prudence and caution
• o     Pay off debts and stay in credit
• o     Book-keeping, accountancy and calculation

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The spirit of capitalism (economic interests)

• Moral duty (calling from God) but also a
  rational strategy for getting rich
• Calvinists became increasingly acquisitive and
  less ascetic wealth accumulation became an end
  in itself
• Shift from value-rational action ?
  instrumental-rational action capitalist system
  was established

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Comparative studies (Weber)

• Capitalism did not develop in other societies
  that lacked this elective affinity between
  religious ideas and economic interests.
•  
• 1.    traditional, primitive societies (see
  studies by Durkheim and Evans-Pritchard)
• - Gods will could easily be detected, so no
  search for signs
•  

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Comparative studies (Weber)

• 2.    early modern China
• - absolute rule by emporers and centralised
  authority, so no technical/administrative
  framework to support capitalism
• - family, kinship and ancestor worship as basis
  of values and financial support. No economic
  interest in accumulating extra wealth
• 3.    India in the 16th century
• - Caste system rigid hierarchy of kinship groups
• - belief that it was impossible to move from one
  stratum to another no religious ideas to
  motivate changes in economic action

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Criticisms of the PESC study

• 1.    Methodological problems 
• Biased / selective interpretation of evidence
  from documentary (secondary) sources Baxters
  Christian Directory and Westminster Confession of
  Faith.
• Dickson McLachlan (1989) Weber mistook
  Benjamin Franklins business advice for moral
  teachings
• McKinnon Weber misunderstood the Calvinist
  notion of the calling
• Reid Weber misrepresented Calvinist doctrines by
  studying followers beliefs rather than the
  original texts.
•  
• (but see Marshalls 1982 defence)
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Criticisms of the PESC study

• 2.    Empirical inaccuracies
• Did Weber overstate the importance of Protestant
  Calvinism in the development of capitalism?
•  Viner (1978) in Scotland, Calvinism had a
  constraining, repressive effect on economic
  development
• Trevor-Roper (1963) English Puritans were only
  marginal in business world
• Robertson (1972) Capitalism was already a
  growing force in 16th century and would have
  taken hold anyway, under either Catholicism or
  Protestantism. (see also Fanfani 1935)
• Tawney (1926) no simple linear / causal
  connection between PE and SC - also influences in
  the other direction.
• (but see Collins 1986 defence)

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Contemporary relevance of PESC

• Secularization the process whereby religious
  thinking, practice and institutions lose social
  significance (Wilson 1966 14).
•  Decline of organised religion (church
  attendance)
• Fragmentation of the church / growth of sects and
  cults
• Changing role of religion other institutions
  now perform its social functions
• Ecclectic religious identities
• Work has become less of a moral duty / vocation
  and more of a secular activity
• Scientific reason as the basis of knowledge -
  non-religious experts

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Secularization, cont.

•  If religion has declined, what has happened to
  capitalism?
• Weber the capitalist system would become
  self-perpetuating there would no longer be any
  need for religious beliefs to motivate economic
  action. Disenchantment?