DSOC 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Protestant Work Ethic, Atlantic Slave Trade, John Calvin
12 Jun 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
The spirit of capitalism can only be an historical individual, i. e. a complex of elements associated in the historical reality (that i) put together out of the individual parts which are taken from historical reality to make it up. Man is dominated by the making of money, by acquisition as the ultimate purpose of his life . Moral bifurcation of society and doctrine of predestination: few are chosen ( the elect ), most are damned to afterlife in hell. John calvin: social reformer in 16th century geneva, switzerland. 16th century was autumn of feudalism (tawney): rising prosperity, aging/decrepit social institutions, profit in commodity trade (wheat, wine) Revolt of rising middle class against state & church regulations, i. e. laws regulating interest rate. Calvin, a lawyer and religious leader, created a sort of christian socialism to purify the individual: the rich were strictly regulated, the poor morally judged.
