Max Weber on Capitalism and Its Foundations - Essay Example

? Max Weber on Capitalism and its foundations Part Max Weber’s views on capitalism are expressed through the “protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism” and his other writings, which cover the relationship between the ethical values of ascetic Protestantism and the rise of capitalism. Weber presents the idea that the ideas of different religious groups, particularly the Calvinists, contributed to the emergence of the capitalistic spirit (Kennedy, 2004). He postulated that there was a relationship between being a protestant and engaging in business, therefore reached the conclusion that religion was a potential cause for the development of the capitalistic society. Max argued that the capitalist saw profit as an end on its own, and that the pursuit of profit was virtuous. In tracing the relationship between Protestantism and capitalism, he pointed out the concept of “calling” whose emphasis was that capitalistic activities were inclined to religious values (Grossman, 2006). Marx pointed out that Calvinism, in particular, was a major influence – noting that they associated salvation to success in business; material success and profit-making were viewed as a sign of God’s favor. He noted that other religious groups like the Methodists, pietists and the Baptists identified with the same idea, but to a lesser degree (Grossman, 2006). The idea that profits and material success was an indicator of God’s favor solidified into the basic structures, on which modern capitalism was developed. However, he noted that after modern capitalism matured, the protestant values behind it were disregarded and business ethics took center stage (Kennedy, 2004). It is important to note that Max insists that Protestantism was not the only factor that led to the development of capitalism, but that it was among the factors leading to its development; he added that the emergence of capitalism influenced religious ideas. Part 2: a). Max Weber’s position about capitalism is greatly motivated by the works of Marx’s theory, which emphasized materialism and economic reductionism; materialism and economic reductionism formed the fundamentals of Weber’s idealism. This shows that Weber’s theories and arguments are largely shaped by the frameworks and the foundations developed by Marx. The inheritance of Marxian thoughts is evident from the emphasis that Weber offers to the part played by the materialist outlook of different groups in the consequential development of capitalism (Grossman, 2006). However, Weber’s ideas and arguments are motivated by his tendency to characterize Marx as a deterministic economist; that could be partly attributed to the facts that Weber did not have access to the early writings of Marx. The divergence could also be attributed to Weber’s preoccupation about Marxian views about Germany and Russia during the start of the 20th century (Kennedy, 2004). The positions projected by Marxist thinkers in exploring Russia and Germany played a major role in propelling Weber to take the route he took, in formulating his theories and adopting his points of view on the origins and the development of capitalism (Grossman, 2006). This shows that the political climates of the last half of the 19th century as well as the first half of the 20th century were major contributors and influence to the theories and the positions adopted by Weber, about the origins of capitalism and the factors leading to its emergence. Irrespective of the major differences in the studies and the theories developed by Weber and Marx, Weber preserved many of the thoughts and the thinking developed by Marx. The fact that Weber preserved many of the theories and the models formulated by Marx shows that Weber was greatly influenced by the teachings of the Marxian school, irrespective of the fact that he was fully congruent with their thinking. This could also show that the thoughts and the theories developed by Marx were used by Weber as the basis of his theories; Weber used Marx’s ideas to develop his theoretical models about the emergency and the factors influencing capitalism. The most distinctive revision of Marx’s theories and thinking is that Weber offers more emphasis to cultural and subjective factors, but rejects the historical evolutionary models that could have played a role in the development of capitalism (Grossman, 2006). The emphasis channeled towards the importance of subjective and cultural factors like religious values, the equation of material success with God’s favor and the religious attribution of profit as a valuable contribution to God’s course also shows a different picture. This emphasis on subjective and cultural factors demonstrates that Weber was more explorative of the society of his time; the changes within the society offered a possible answer regarding the emergence of capitalism. For example, he attributes materialism to the religious values of the Calvinists, and more importantly, expanded their materialist outlook to the non-religious society, where the values of religion were considered irrelevant. Weber’s epistemological position, despite the fact that it borrows largely from the models developed by Marx, was informed by the social formation of religion of the time. This is evident from his thoughts that the Calvinists held the belief that profit making was virtuous before God, and that material success was an indicator of God’s favor – this compelled the Calvinists to pursue capitalism as a way of identifying with the religious connotation of materialism and the search for a virtuous life (Grossman, 2006). Further, he notes that other religious groups, including the Methodists, pietists and the Baptists were also inclined to the same belief – despite that they identified with it to a lesser extent. Weber’s insistence on the values of different religious groups and its influence on the emergence of capitalism demonstrate that Weber picked religion as the emphasis of his theories; he emphasized that the religious-based capitalistic views of the Calvinists and other groups offered the foundation for the development of a capitalistic society (Kennedy, 2004). b). Max Weber emphasized the role of social constructions like religion and law in influencing the adoption of different behavioral patterns, and the approaches employed in the economic sphere of the society (Swedberg, 2006). However, he introduces the thinking that while taking the different influencing factors, a sociological outlook should be employed towards the exploration of the motives of social actors, which determine the course of all spheres of social life. Weber’s contribution is evident from his insistence on the role of the motives (social inclinations) of groups and individuals in shaping the society, which complements all other influencing factors like law and religion. Socially constructed systems like law and religion play a major role in the other spheres of society, including the economic (Kennedy, 2004). Through his theories and school of thought, sociologists have developed models of shaping the motives of members of society, which help in ensuring that the other systems established within the society are operational and successful. For example, through appealing to the ethical appeal of individuals, the doctrines of law are more likely to work, than in a case where they were working against the motives and the values of the society. The ethical implications of Weber’s arguments include that the social aspect of the individual plays a major role in the shaping of the society, economic life, legal structures and also their success levels (Swedberg, 2006). This leads to the conclusion that nations and societies should maintain a balance between the different frameworks of society and social life, so that the intended outcomes are attained. References Grossman, H. (2006). The Beginnings of Capitalism and the New Mass Morality. Journal of Classical Sociology, 6(2), 201-213. Kennedy, D. (2004). The Disenchantment of Logically Formal Legal Rationality or Max Weber’s Sociology in the Genealogy of the Contemporary Mode of Western Legal Thought. Hastings Law Journal, 1031-1076. Swedberg, R. (2006). Max Weber's Contribution to the Economic Sociology of Law. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 2, 61-81. Read More