Sociology is the systematic study of society and social interaction. In order to carry out their studies, sociologists identify cultural patterns and social forces and determine how they affect individuals and groups. They also develop ways to apply their findings to the real world.
Prominent sociologist Max Weber (1864–1920) established a sociology department
in Germany at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich in 1919. Weber wrote
on many topics related to sociology including political change in Russia, the
condition of German farm workers, and the history of world religions. He was also
a prominent public figure, playing an important role in the German peace delegation
in Versailles and in drafting the ill-fated German (Weimar) constitution following
the defeat of Germany in World War I.
Weber is known best for his 1904 book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of
Capitalism. He noted that in modern industrial societies, business leaders and
owners of capital, the higher grades of skilled labor, and the most technically and
commercially trained personnel were overwhelmingly Protestant. He also noted the
uneven development of capitalism in Europe, and in particular how capitalism
developed first in those areas dominated by Protestant sects. He asked, “Why were
the districts of highest economic development at the same time particularly favorable
to a revolution in the Church?” (i.e., the Protestant Reformation (1517–
1648)) (Weber 1904). His answer focused on the development of the Protestant
ethic—the duty to “work hard in one’s calling”—in particular Protestant sects such
as Calvinism, Pietism, and Baptism.
As opposed to the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church in which poverty was
a virtue and labour simply a means for maintaining the individual and community,
the Protestant sects began to see hard, continuous labour as a spiritual end in itself.
Hard labour was firstly an ascetic technique of worldly renunciation and a defence
against temptations and distractions: the unclean life, sexual temptations, and
religious doubts. Secondly, the Protestant sects believed that God’s disposition
toward the individual was predetermined and could never be known or influenced
by traditional Christian practices like confession, penance, and buying indulgences.
However, one’s chosen occupation was a “calling” given by God, and the only sign
of God’s favour or recognition in this world was to receive good fortune in one’s
calling. Thus material success and the steady accumulation of wealth through
personal effort and prudence was seen as a sign of an individual’s state of grace.
Weber argued that the ethic, or way of life, that developed around these beliefs was
a key factor in creating the conditions for both the accumulation of capital, as the
goal of economic activity, and for the creation of an industrious and disciplined
labour force.
In this regard, Weber has often been seen as presenting an idealist explanation of the
development of capital, as opposed to Marx’s historical materialist explanation. It is
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