The Sociology Book

220

T H E P U R I T A N

W A N T E D T O W O R K

I N A C A L L I N G ;

W E A R E F O R C E D

T O D O S O

MAX WEBER (1864–1920)

M

ax Weber, a founding

father of sociology,

provides a very different

account of the rise of capitalism

to that outlined in the work of the

two other traditional founders of

the discipline, Karl Marx and Émile

Durkheim. In The Protestant Ethic

and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904 –

05), Weber’s most acclaimed

work, he offers an analysis of

the role played by religious ideas,

beliefs, and values—particularly

Protestantism—in the rise of

modern capitalism.

For Weber, the definitive

feature of capitalist society is the

particular “work ethic” or “spirit of

capitalism,” as he refers to it, that

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Protestant work ethic

KEY DATES

1517 German theologian

Martin Luther posts his

“Ninety-Five Theses on

the Power and Efficacy of

Indulgences,” which is a

catalyst for the Protestant

Reformation.

From the 1840s Karl Marx

focuses on economic—rather

than religious or cultural—

factors for understanding the

rise of capitalism.

1882 A worldview hostile

to Christianity is articulated

by the German philosopher

Friedrich Nietzsche, who

declares “God is dead.”

1920 Max Weber’s book

Sociology of Religion is

published and becomes a

major influence on sociological

theories of religion.