SOSC 1140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 41: Protestant Work Ethic
12 Apr 2020
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Document Summary
For a capitalistic system to function, it needs devotion in the calling to make money. While capitalistic tendencies seem to be only a characteristic of modern society, weber points out that it has existed in the past. The spirit of capitalism has always existed, however, the ethic did not. In the past, if people behaved in individualistic ways and desired accumulation merely for accumulation sakes, they were viewed as morally reprehensible. This capitalist way of behaviour was considered socially unacceptable and went against society s shared values of religious faith and serving communal needs. However, the protestant work ethic has resulted in a major shift of ideology. The spirit of capitalism has now become the ethically correct thing to do. Going against capitalistic ideals has now become the morally reprehensible action. The spirit of capitalism has changed this type of behaviour to something that is right and normal. This framework has also served to justify discrimination and class oppression.
