SOCB43H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Protestant Work Ethic, Tradition, Eurocentrism
Document Summary
Protestants knew from the time they were born that it was already decided whether they were going to heaven or not. This gave them a particular orientation towards the economy/how they worked. The accumulation of wealth/earning a profit means that god favours you. We have a group of people who work hard day in and day out. These people think bodily pleasure is a bad thing. Money isn"t a bad thing but it is a temptation. As they are, their religious passion is diminishing. We see the rise of a new moral ethic. It"s still moral, which is the spirit of capitalism. We end up with this rational, modern system of the economy. We move from value oriented behaviour to goal rational behaviour. The iron cage is this idea that we"re stuck within a modern, highly rational order and not necessarily connected to our humanity in the process.
