political economist best known for his thesis of the "Protestant Ethic," relating Protestantism to capitalism, and for his ideas on bureaucracy. What is protestant ethics? • The Protestant ethic, also called the work ethic, is a code of morals based on the principles of discipline, hard work, and individualism. • these qualities were especially encouraged by the Protestant religion, especially those denominations based on the belief of Calvinism Calvinism • Calvinism is a series of beliefs based on those of John Calvin and his followers. • • The system is often summarized in the Five Points of Calvinism and is best known for its doctrines of predestination, stressing the absolute sovereignty of God. Connection between Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism
• Weber held that the doctrine of predestination,
created intense anxieties in the individual regarding that person's state of grace. • Practical means of reducing those anxieties took the form of a systematic commitment, that is, hard work and self-discipline, the material rewards of which were not consumed personally but saved and reinvested • These qualities were also required for success in the newly emerging capitalist economy. • Furthermore, success in the commercial world tended to assure the individual that he or she was in fact in a state of grace because God had smiled on His believers. • As Calvinism developed, a deep psychological need for clues about whether one was actually saved , and Calvinists looked to their success in worldly activity for those clues. Thus, they came to value profit and material success as signs of God's favor