Max Weber: Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

Max Weber's seminal work, "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" (1905), addresses a fundamental question: Why did modern capitalism flourish primarily in North America and Europe? Based on his empirical observations, Weber argues that the Protestant Reformation, particularly the Calvinist emphasis on predestination, significantly influenced economic behaviors that nurtured capitalism. Protestants, in their quest for divine assurance, interpreted success in business as a sign of God's favor, promoting a culture of hard work, frugality, and efficiency.

Weber's insights provide a counterpoint to Karl Marx's views on capitalism. While Marx focused on material conditions and class struggles, Weber highlighted the importance of cultural and religious values in the development of capitalism.

Although explicit religious motivations have diminished over time, the essence of Weber's findings continues to resonate.

Literature:

Max Weber; Peter R. Baehr; Gordon C. Wells (2002). The Protestant ethic and the "spirit" of capitalism and other writings, Penguin

0:00 Max Weber´s Central Inquiry
01:04 The Protestant Ethic
05:16 The Spirit of Capitalism
09:12 The Irrationality
10:15 Spirit of Capitalism Today

[JoshuaFagan]

You have a really soothing voice, and I love the elegant set-up. The information is also really astute and thoughtful.

[timstauffacher]

Very informativeand interesting video. Great work :)

[ZakStandridge]

cheers, mate. And while most find it puritanical and thus outmoded, Weber's idea of 'our place' in society still resonates with a great deal of the proletariat

[fanstream]

Bravo on getting to 1000 subscribers so soon, especially on a channel focused on complex thoughts, ideas and thinkers. You're a polyglot too --- stay curious, keep learning, and travel as much as you can :)

[Linus-nd]

Man, thats actually great, I love it!

[damintten]

6:00 i love that he used Franklin for his perfect example of his thesis. Lets just say Franklin loved his time in france, also has anyone seen any pic of Franklin he was far from a disciplined man. Juys lets me know this max fellow isnt serious and also how are you ganna say nothing about colonialism and just hyper focus on religion...strange.

[albdruck]

Enjoyed the video. Also love Buddenbrooks.

[graf.seligenstadt]

Where do you actually live? In France?

[ayala]

this is such a nice recapitulation of my highschool philosophy class i realized how much i missed it tysm 🫶