Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the ‘spirit’ of Capitalism (1905): A Centennial Essay
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.v18i2.235Abstract
This article explores the publication of Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the ‘spirit’ of Capitalism (hereafter PESC) in 1905. One of the great masterpieces in the study of religion and sociology, Weber’s argument has penetrated deeply into the scholarly and popular culture of the West, proving to be one of the most influential insights into role of religion and the nature of modernity, and an inspiration for a vast amount of academic work, either expanding Weber’s argument or contesting it. In exploring the century-long influence of PESC this article first describes PESC and Weber’s influence, noting some important applications and criticisms. It then explores the background of Weber’s argument in PESC in terms of two factors: (1) the shared interests of a group of talented scholars at a time of unprecedented political crisis in German and European history; and (2) the crisis in Weber’s personal and emotional life. Finally, it turns to a discussion of how Weber’s work on PESC illuminates the inner world of modernity.
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