Does religious ethic contribute to the rise of capitalism? Discuss with reference to Max Weber’s writings.

Weber’s Central Thesis on Religion and Economy: The main concern of Weber in analyzing the religion was to focus on the social change caused by religion and not on the functions of religion. Weber focused on the economic and religious spheres of society.

In his famous work, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber argues that capitalism arose in Europe in parts because of how the belief in predestination was interpreted by everyday English Puritans. Puritan theology was based on the Calvinist notion that not every one would be saved, there was only a specific number of elect, who would avoid domination and this was based sheerly on God’s predetermined will and not any action you could perform in this life. Official doctrine held that one could not ever really know whether one was among the elect.

Practically, according to Weber, it was difficult psychologically. The protestant Ethic thesis has been much critiqued, refined and disputed, but is still a lively source of theoretical debate in sociology of religion. Weber also did considerable work in world’s religions including Hinduism and Buddhism. In the magnum opus Economy and Society Weber distinguished three ideal types of religious attitudes:

1. World flying mysticism

2. World reflecting asceticism

3. Inner worldly asceticism He also separated magic as pre-religious activity.

The Origins of Spirit of Capitalism

Weber also tried to identify the ‘Spirit’ of capitalism. In studying the western capitalism, he analysed the ‘spirit’ or philosophy which was different from other system of money making. According to Weber, the spirit responsible for the rise of western capitalism is as follows:

● The devotion of wealth and profit beyond an individual’s personal needs.

● The commitment to unrelieved toil and work coupled with self-denial.

● Not using wealth for personal enjoyment.

Weber analyzed Benjamin Franklin’s tips to be rich. Benjamin’s preaching includes the hints to those that would be rich. Weber quoted that ‘Truly what is here preached is not simply a mean of making one’s way in the world, but a particular ethic. It is not mere business astuteness, that sort of thing is common enough, it is an ethos’. He also said that “the earning of money within the modern economic order is so long as it is done legally, the result and the expression of virtue and proficiency in a calling and this virtue and proficiency are, as it is now not difficult to see, the real Alpha and Omega of Franklin’s ethic.

Modern vs. Traditional Capitalism

According to Weber, the spirit of capitalism was more prevalent in modern western capitalism and was unavailable in the traditional capitalism. Western modern capitalism is made up of devotion of people to the earning of wealth and not using or avoiding the use of income for personal enjoyment.

The difference between the modern and traditional capitalism is in contract. This is visible with the difference in the attitudes of the labourers. In the modern capitalism, the workers increase their intensity of work which is beneficial both for the employers and the workers. In contrast to modern capitalism, in the traditional capitalism the workers preferred to work less rather than earning more. They work only to the limit which is sufficient to meet their traditional needs. 

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