Max Weber's sociological theory and contributions

Weber

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism," a study of Max Weber, a German economist and sociologist, written in 1904 highlights the idea that capitalism has appeared as a direct consequence of the fact that the Protestant ethic has determined large numbers of people to engage in work in the secular world, developing their own enterprises and starting activities related to trade in order to become wealthy. This conception, named also "the Weber thesis" has inspired many of the modern economic theories and has somehow made the connection between one's spiritual beliefs and his or her approaches in the professional arena ("The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Social Research, Vol. XI, 1944").

Chapter 17 of the book, also entitled "Religious Affiliation and Social Stratification" begins with the assumption that most of the successful persons activating in the economic field are Protestants, this fact being due to the great material wealth these people have inherited. Moreover, the author argues that these people have inherited "the spirit of capitalism," which he considers to be "the idea of the duty of the individual towards the increase of his capital, which is assumed as an end in itself" ("The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism").On the other hand, the capitalist world is seen by Weber as being an immense cosmos in which the individual is born and from where he can be eliminated if he doesn't adapt to its rules. However, the spirit of capitalism has occurred long before the capitalist world did and even from its appearance it has been obliged to face opposite considerations, such as the traditionalist ones.

Weber also tends to associate, at a certain point, the development of capitalism with the development of rationalism in itself, sustaining that Protestantism was practically a former stage to the development of a rationalistic philosophy, but then he conceives that rationalism and capitalism have had different histories. Further on, he describes a particular form of Protestantism, mainly Protestant asceticism, a belief that condemns luxury in itself and rather emphasizes the need of a rational and utilitarian use of wealth, which is also preferred by God. However, these ideas did not only become widely accepted due to the religious beliefs people had, but also due to the economic and social conditions of the times.

Chapter 17, which treats the origins of industrial capitalism in Europe, begins by arguing that the real capitalism has appeared in Europe. In order to support his statement, Weber comes with some definitions of capitalism; he considers that a capitalist economic action is "based on the expectation of profit from the utilization of opportunities for exchange," whileas the capital acquisition is rational and based on calculations. However, this does not mean that the primary tools of capitalism, such as trade or other economic operations did not exist in other parts of the world; what Weber sustains instead is the fact that "the West has given capitalism a degree of significance such as it has never had elsewhere, for the reason that it has developed kinds, forms and tendencies of capitalism which there have never been elsewhere" ("The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism"). In addition, due to this fact, nowadays there exists in the West a form of capitalism which has developed nowhere else in the world, mainly the free labor. It should also be mentioned at this point that it has also been favored by two capitalist practices, the separation of the household from the place of work and the rational book-keeping. Moreover, the development of the Western capitalism has stood at the basis of the appearance of a new social class, the capitalist bourgeoisie, distinct from the previous bourgeois class, and has also led to the invention of new technological tools and to the regular use of scientific notions, meant to contribute to a proper economic activity.

Another approach taken by Weber in this study consists in explaining the characteristics of the bureaucracy. In the opinion of the author, this term may occur only in "political and ecclesiastical communities only in the modern state, and in the private economy only in the most advanced institutions of capitalism" ("The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism"). Moreover, the principle on which it is established is that of office hierarchy, in which the lower offices are supervised by the higher ones, which also exists within a legal framework, meaning that its activity is guided by written documents and usually follows some general rules.

The official is usually named in the office and, in the case of the political leaders, they gain a certain position due to their charisma, to which it also contributes his privilleged statute within the social system. Moreover, he is usually appointed, as an elected official is no longer considered to activate within a bureaucratic system. Usually, his position is held for life and he normally receives a salary as compensation for his activity, which usually grows in the same time with his position within the bureaucratic hierarchy.

However, bureaucracy has appeared quite late, and this is because of some obstacles it has encountered during its evolution: one of them consists in the fact that, initially, a place within the bureaucratic system was rather inherited than gained, and the other one is represented by the appearance of mass parties, which tend to elect their leaders rather then have them being appointed.

However, once established, bureaucracy is one of the structures that can hardly be destroyed, as it is "the means of transforming social action into rationally organized action" ("The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism").

1. In Max Weber's view, rationalization represents the path capitalism has followed in its attempt to gain wealth, a purpose which has been left behind at some point by the religious belief that stood at its basis, Protestantism. Other views on rationalization sustain that it is "the practical application of knowledge to achieve a desired end. Its purpose is to bring about efficiency, coordination, and control of the natural and social environment. It is a product of Western scientific specialization and technical differentiation" ("The Sociology of Max Weber," 1968).