Between Sociology and Theology: The Spirit of Capitalism Debate

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Tester
Keyword(s):  
Max Weber ◽  
Paul Tillich ◽  
Georg Simmel ◽  
General Theme ◽  
Spirit Of Capitalism ◽  
Protestant Theologian ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Compare And Contrast

This paper revisits the debate on the Spirit of Capitalism in order to show how this well-known sociological theme might be revitalised through an encounter with themes from theology. The paper seeks to offer some of the resources by which it might be possible to think about the ‘moral texture’ of the German tradition of sociology. In so doing, it seeks to compare and contrast the general theme of the Spirit of Capitalism in the work of the Protestant theologian Paul Tillich with debates raised in the neo-Kantian sociology of Georg Simmel and Max Weber. Tillich's discussion of the Spirit of Capitalism is discussed in detail and it is used as the basis for some concluding speculations about the relationship between the disciplines of sociology and theology.

scholarly journals Kontekstualisasi Al-Qur’an Dan Pancasila Melalui Penguatan Muslim HUB Sebagai Pola Alternatif Dalam Menghadapi Industri 4.0

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Muhammad Akrom Adabi ◽  
Neny Muthi'atul Awwaliyah
Keyword(s):  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Active Role ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Face ◽  
Spirit Of Capitalism ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
The Times ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Holy Book

AbstractThe Qur’an, which has the status of a Muslim holy book, is experiencing "alienation" because it is considered unable to make practical contributions to various new challenges that arise. Al-Qur’an and Pancasila, which are the two important handles of Indonesian Muslims, are expected to not only keep up with the times. More than that, the al-Qur’an and Pancasila must really be able to fill the void and give an active role through its values, to bring the progress of Indonesia with a distinctive personality in the face of the Industrial 4.0 era. This paper tries to review the strengthening of Muslim Hub as a strategy in dealing with Industry 4.0 through contextualization of the values of the Koran and Pancasila. This study uses Max Weber's theory of Protestant ethics. In a book entitled The Protestant Ethics and Spirit of Capitalism, Weber has done a thorough analysis of the relationship between capitalism and religion. AbstrakAl-Qur’an dan Pancasila harus betul-betul mampu mengisi kekosongan dan memberi peran aktif melalui nilai-nilainya, untuk membawa kemajuan Indonesia dengan kepribadian yang khas dalam menghadapi era Industri 4.0. Tulisan ini mencoba mengulas seputar penguatan muslim hub sebagai strategi dalam menghadapi Industri 4.0 melalui kontekstualisasi nilai al-Qur’an dan Pancasila. Dalam penelitian ini ada dua bukti empiris yang pertama order monastic, dimana orang saleh ternyata juga memiliki prestasi yang gemilang dari sisi material. Kedua sekte protestan yang memiliki prestasi yang gemilang dalam fase awal munculnya kapitalisme modern. Penelitian ini menggunakan teori Max Weber tentang etika Protestan. Dalam buku yang berjudul The Protestan Ethics and Spirit of Capitalism, Weber telah melakukan analisa yang mendalam mengenai relasi kapitalisme dan keagamaan yang menunjukkan betapa agama memiliki pengaruh kuat dalam pembentukan karakter pemeluknya. Jika ditarik ke kajian yang lebih luas, maka ideologi memiliki peran kuat dalam mempengaruhi perilaku pengikutnya, baik ideologi keagamaan maupun ideologi kenegaraan. Kata Kunci: Kontekstualisasi, Al-Qur’an, Pancasila, Industri 4.0.

Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Tanner
Keyword(s):  
Max Weber ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Economic Behavior ◽  
Critical Perspective ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Current Configuration ◽  
Spirit Of Capitalism ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Christian Beliefs

The current configuration of capitalism, in which finance plays a dominant role, has the capacity to shape people in ways that hinder the development of any critical perspective on it. This book explores the various cultural forms of finance-dominated capitalism and suggests how their pervasive force in human life might be countered by Christian beliefs and practices with a comparable person-shaping capacity. In this way, the book reverses the project of the German sociologist Max Weber in his Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, while employing much the same methods as he used for discussing the relationship between religious beliefs and economic behavior. Weber showed how Christian beliefs and practices, by way of its work ethic, could form persons in line with what capitalism required of them. This book demonstrates the capacity of Christian beliefs and practices to help people resist the dictates of capitalism in its present, finance-dominated configuration.

Weimar Sociology

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kettler ◽  
Colin Loader
Keyword(s):  
Max Weber ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Georg Simmel ◽  
Karl Mannheim ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines the status of the fledgling but burgeoning field of sociology from the waning days of the Kaiserreich through the last moments of the Republic. Two intellectual giants who did not live very long into the Republic's founding, Max Weber and Georg Simmel, set the agenda for the study of society in Weimar. The chapter suggests that it was the early demise of Weber and Simmel that permitted their heirs, most prominently Karl Mannheim, to render their writings canonical and to pursue the questions of modernity, rationalization, capitalism and the relationship of ideas and ideology to those phenomena with something like a common language—if not a language that facilitated intellectual consensus on any of these themes.

Ascetic Protestantism and Economic Rationalism: Max Weber Revisited after Two Generations

1987 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartmut Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Max Weber ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
Spirit Of Capitalism ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Max Weber's essay on the relationship of ascetic Protestantism and the spirit of capitalism, published in 1904/05, is certainly the most controversial and perhaps the most complicated piece he wrote. As we all know, two generations of scholars have discussed Weber's essay since 1905, filling the shelves of libraries with the fruits of their labors. Scholars in different fields have expressed their own version of what Weber supposedly wanted to say, often generalizing Weber's remarks and giving their own rather than Weber's original opinion.

Ethical Conduct in the Present Age: The Case of Søren Kierkegaard

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Tester
Keyword(s):  
Soren Kierkegaard ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Ethical Conduct ◽  
Protestant Ethic ◽  
Spirit Of Capitalism ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Søren Kierkegaard is widely read in the disciplinary spheres of philosophy and theology. However, the sociological resonance of some of his work has been overlooked. This paper seeks to introduce aspects of Kierkegaard's account of ‘the present age’ to a sociological audience. Kierkegaard's concerns are explored in the context of themes and issues raised by Max Weber. The paper has two themes. First, the paper uses the example of Kierkegaard to explore the relationship of the Protestant Ethic (which is identified as a mode of the production of the personality of the individual) with the Spirit of Capitalism (which is identified as a life order). Second, the paper outlines aspects of Kierkegaard's diagnosis of ‘the present age’ which might be of interest to a sociological audience.

Esteem and self-esteem as an interweaving polarity. Max Weber´s analysis from the Protestant ethic to the ideal-type of politician

Human Affairs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-364
Author(s):  
Cristiana Senigaglia
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Protestant Ethic ◽  
Social Reputation ◽  
Conduct Of Life ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Ideal

AbstractAlthough Max Weber does not specifically analyze the topic of esteem, his investigation of the Protestant ethic offers interesting insights into it. The change in mentality it engendered essentially contributed to enhancing the meaning and importance of esteem in modern society. In his analysis, Weber ascertains that esteem was fundamental to being accepted and integrated into the social life of congregations. Nevertheless, he also highlights that esteem was supported by a form of self-esteem which was not simply derived from a good social reputation, but also achieved through a deep and continual self-analysis as well as a strict discipline in the ethical conduct of life. The present analysis reconstructs the different aspects of the relationship between social and self-esteem and analyzes the consequences of that relationship by focusing on the exemplary case of the politician’s personality and ethic.

DAVID HUME AS A PROTO-WEBERIAN: COMMERCE, PROTESTANTISM, AND SECULAR CULTURE

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-212
Author(s):  
Margaret Schabas
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
David Hume ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Good Reason ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Secular Culture ◽  
Spirit Of Capitalism ◽  
The Church

AbstractDavid Hume wrote prolifically and influentially on economics and was an enthusiast for the modern commercial era of manufacturing and global trade. As a vocal critic of the Church, and possibly a nonbeliever, Hume positioned commerce at the vanguard of secularism. I here argue that Hume broached ideas that gesture toward those offered by Max Weber in his famous Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-5). Hume discerned a strong correlation between economic flourishing and Protestantism, and he pointed to a “spirit of the age” that was built on modern commerce and fueled by religious tolerance. The Roman Catholic Church, by contrast, came under considerable attack by Hume, for fostering intolerance and draining and diverting funds. Hume recognized several of the dispositions that later appealed to Weber: an increased work ethic and tendency to frugality, enterprise, and investment in Protestant regions. A neo-Weberian literature now points to additional factors, the spread of literacy and the fostering of a network of trust among strangers, both of which Hume noted. Insofar as modern commerce both feeds upon and fosters more liberties and representative government, Hume also linked these with the advent and spread of Protestantism. My aim is not to suggest that these arguments have merit—there is good reason to question each and every assertion under the historical microscope—but rather to highlight the broader religious and cultural context in which Hume’s economics was broached.

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