Max Weber is german sociologist, political ecomomist and philosopher.

He is one among the

three founding fathers of sociology. his theories and ideas influenced many social researches.
'The protestant ethis and spirit of capitalism' is one of the most great works of Max weber. This
work is a study of relation between the emergence of spirit of capitalism and the ascetic
protestantism. The term 'elective affinity' given by weber is focusing on the idea of relation
between protestant ethics and spirit of capitalism. He is intersting in the fact whether ascetics of
protestantism led to the emergence of spirit of capitalism or spirit of capitalism influenced the
ascetics ideas of protestantism. He focussed on religion to understand this corelation. He
explored religion as a potantial cause for the modern capitalistic framework. Later in his work he
argued that neither the spirit of capitalism lead to the protestant ethics nor vice versa. but they
both developed simultaneously. Wber also accepted that there is not any dialectic relatonship
between them as he dont want to be deterministic about it.

Weber in his work ' The protestant ethics and Spirit of capitalism' argued that, for understnding
the corelation between both of them, he did an emirical research in Germany and found out that
according to the occupational statistics, high stated labourers, business leaders and owners are
overwhemingly protestants in Germany. It was also observed that during protestant revolution
that the areas which were economically developed were moe favourable to revolution. And it
was also noted in the 16th century that most of the richest and economically powerful people
turned Protestant. Protestants participated in the capitalistic activities due to more wealth but
this economic aspect dont explain the whole phenomenon. for instance Catholics were involved
in earning money but still they were practising traditional activities like handicraft. This suggest
that their environment has determined the choice of occupation. Protestants have more
tendency to develop economic rationalism than Catholics have. Weber tries to find the source of
this behaviour in religion. weber also mentioned that there might be close relation between
capitalist acquition and otherworldliness. Not all protestant circles have had an equal influence
of spirit of capitalism. For example Calvinists were more influened from the capitalistic ideas in
the religious framework rather than lutheranism. It is also important to note that weber is
caution about the limited ability of theory to explain the emergence of spirit of capitalism and
protestant ethics as real world is more complex than the theories explained in terms of ideas
and concept.

Weber, with the reference of Benjamin Franklin illustrates the capitalism ethos. It includes the
interesting facts in the capitalistic framewok like time is money,credit is money and money's
prolific and self generating nature. Money can Beget money and its offspiring can beget more
and so on. Paying debt on time is also an important capitalistic etho as it encurage the
confidence of the payee on others. It aslo encourage people to present themselves as
trustworthy and industrious. The mindset of accepting the capital as an end in itself is
considered the spirit of capitalism. Earning more an more money is seen as an end itself and not
simply means of purchasing other goods. Principles of capitalism is led by the irrational attitide
of people towards money.