The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

Max Weber (1864-1920) was a German sociologist and historian and the author of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Weber is widely considered to be one of the founding figures in the field of sociology, an academic discipline that seeks to analyze the structure of human societies as well as their development and change over time.

Published in 1905, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is one of Weber’s best-known books. Weber’s aim in the book is to argue that developments in the Protestant religion helped to lay the groundwork for the growth of capitalism in Western countries such as France, England, Germany, and the United States. While many sociologists and historians had previously argued that any changes in modern society must have been the result of the development of capitalism, Weber argues that Protestantism created changes in the beliefs of its followers that in turn helped to create the conditions for capitalism’s growth. However, Weber avoids making a clear causal argument, such as arguing that the Protestant Reformation was the direct cause of capitalism. Rather, Weber seeks to explore how Protestantism and capitalism developed concomitantly, each influencing the other.