When did Max Weber write The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism?
Max Weber wrote the original German text during 1904 and 1905. He composed it as a series of essays rather than a single book initially.
Max Weber wrote the original German text during 1904 and 1905. He composed it as a series of essays rather than a single book initially.
American sociologist Talcott Parsons translated the work into English for the first time in 1930. This translation made the ideas accessible to a wider audience outside Germany.
Weber argued that capitalism evolved when the Protestant ethic influenced large numbers of people who engaged in secular work and accumulated wealth. Calvinist predestination created a need for signs of salvation, making worldly success one measure of self-confidence for these believers.
In 1998 the International Sociological Association listed this work as the fourth most important sociological book of the 20th century. It now ranks as the eighth most cited book in the social sciences published before 1950.
Critics argue individuals prone to capitalism were more likely to adopt Protestantism rather than vice versa. Davide Cantoni tested Weber's hypothesis on German cities over the period 1300 to 1900 finding no effects of Protestantism on economic growth.