ARCHIVE: WEBER
We'll put Bauman and Swidler in conversation with Max Weber (born 1864, Erfurt, Prussia – died 1920, Munich, Germany). In addition to reading the assigned excerpts from Weber, you may want to review the following summaries and theory maps from the prequel course.
THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM
Weber. 1905. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. (pp. 13-31, 47-78)
Weber offers an alternative theory for the emergence of modern capitalism in the West. He tells us that such a capitalism required a combination of rational techniques and rational laws. However, these were necessary but not sufficient conditions. There was another ingredient that was critical: the spirit of capitalism. This spirit, or ethos, motivated rational economic conduct and it was particular to the West. The spirit of capitalism was not characterized by greed. It was instead characterized by restraint (e.g., saving/investing money and avoiding leisure). It emphasized acquisition for the sake of acquisition and labor for the sake of labor. In arguing against historical materialism, Weber insists this spirit emerged in some significant way in the West before modern rational capitalism existed in concrete form. He leans on the writings of Benjamin Franklin to illustrate this point. But if the spirit came first, where did it come from? Why did it pop up in the West but nowhere else? Weber argues that the spirit of capitalism was spawned, at least in significant part, by the protestant ethic. While the spirit of capitalism is generally hostile to religion today, Weber insists that the rise of protestant asceticism was critical to the development of this spirit. The protestant ethic helped drag Western culture out of traditionalism.
THE PROTESTANT ETHIC
Weber. 1905. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. (pp. 79-128)
The development of the protestant ethic is consistent with the overall trend of Western rationalization. Beginning with an analysis of Martin Luther, Weber tells us that Protestantism encouraged worldly asceticism. Writing against Catholic traditionalism, Luther argued that the faithful should pursue their calling and contribute to their communities in the name of “brotherly love.” While critical for advancing the division of labor, the calling alone did not encourage a systematic organization of moral, let alone economic, life. There was another major development in the protestant ethic that made this rationalization possible: John Calvin’s doctrine of predestination. According Calvin, God has already determined who is saved. Weber says this doctrine inspired a deep sense of uncertainty and motivated many believers to seek signs that they were elected for heaven. This intensified a Protestant commitment to the calling and mixed it into a highly systematized moral life. The Calvinist couldn’t cleanse his soul of sins like the Catholic could. He had to embrace rational asceticism throughout his entire life. Thus, in addition to motivating hard work in the calling, Calvinism encouraged self-discipline. It’s not difficult to imagine how wealth could be produced under these conditions (e.g., hard work combined with minimal earthly pleasure).
THE IRON CAGE
Weber. 1905. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. (pp. 155-83)
How did the protestant ethic help generate the spirit of capitalism? According to Weber, Richard Baxter represents the missing link. Baxter emphasized the moral hazards of wasted time. He also argued that wealth was not itself evil. While it may tempt evil, Baxter argued that the pursuit of wealth may be done in the name of God as part of the calling. Weber also notes that the protestant ethic legitimated exploitation. Rational sober capitalists were met by rational sober workers and this helped lay the foundation for the modern economic order in the West. Over time, the spirit of capitalism separated from the protestant ethic. An iron cage encapsulated the lives of capitalists and workers alike and religious justification escaped from that cage. The cosmos of modern capitalism, while birthed and nurtured by the protestant ethic, now survives sans religion. Only the ghosts of ascetic Protestantism remain, like the old idea of a calling. Weber briefly considers some potential futures before ending his book with a final reminder. He doesn’t want to replace a one-sided economic argument with a one-sided cultural argument. He simply wants to emphasize a causal arrow that is often ignored.
ACTION, LEGITIMACY, AND RATIONALIZATION
Weber. 1922. Economy and Society. (pp. 4-26, 212-6, 956-63, 973-5, 980-90, 998 -1003)
There’s certainly a lot to learn from The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, but three concepts are particularly important and worth further exploring: action, legitimacy, and rationalization. Some excerpts from Economy and Society will help us better understand these concepts. First, in an effort to clarify Weber’s conceptualization of action, we’ll discuss “The Definitions of Sociology and Social Action” and “Types of Social Action.” We’ll cover the four possible orientations (instrumentally rational, value-rational, affectual, and traditional) and apply them to Weber’s analysis of modern Western capitalism. Next, we’ll discuss “Domination and Legitimacy” along with “The Three Pure Types of Authority” to help us understand legitimacy. We may also want to consider how the “legal grounds,” “traditional grounds,” and “charismatic grounds” of authority operate differently through Catholicism, Protestantism, and secular capitalism. Finally, to sharpen our comprehension of rationalization, we’ll discuss portions of “Bureaucracy.” In addition to detailing the basic features of “modern officialdom,” Weber covers the vocation and position of a particular actor: the official. We’ll also consider the bureaucratization of state, market, education, warfare, and more. Time permitting, we should also discuss how Weber’s analysis of bureaucracy can help us understand the “iron cage.”