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Encyclopedia > Protestant work ethic

The Protestant work ethic, or sometimes called the Puritan work ethic, is a Calvinist value emphasizing the necessity of constant labor in a person's calling as a sign of personal salvation. Protestants beginning with Martin Luther had reconceptualised work as a duty in the world for the benefit of the individual and society as a whole. The Catholic idea of good works was transformed into an obligation to work diligently as a sign of grace. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Calvinism is a theological... For other uses, see Salvation (disambiguation). ... Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Contents

History

The term was first coined by Max Weber, the “youngest” of the German Historical School of economics, in his The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. The Protestant work ethic is often credited with helping to define the societies of Northern Europe and other Protestant countries where Protestantism was strong, such as in Scandinavia, northern Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. In such societies it is regarded by many observers as one of the cornerstones of national prosperity. This stereotype would say that people in countries with Protestant roots tend to be more materialistic, perfectionist, and more focused on work, compared to people in many Catholic countries, such as Spain, Italy and France where the people had a more relaxed attitude towards work, and were less materialistic, which raises the question on how right Protestant cultures were in equating work and corporate work, with the spirit. For the politician, see Max Weber (politician). ... The Historical school of economics was a mainly German school of economic thought which held that a study of history was the key source of knowledge about human actions and economic matters, since economics would be culture-specific and not generalizable over space and time. ... The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is a book written by Max Weber, a German economist and sociologist in 1904 and 1905 that began as a series of essays. ... Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centered on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe which includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. ...


Criticism

Proponents of the notion of the "Protestant work ethic" claim that the term refers to its Protestant origin and does not require Protestantism itself. As Ireland was ruled by a Protestant nation, while Japan modeled its modernization on largely Protestant nations like the United States, Great Britain and Germany, they could have received the secularized ethic from Protestants without it accepting any religious underpinning to it. Similarly, successful capitalist countries with relatively large Catholic minorities such as the United States, Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand tend to be ignored in the analysis and lumped together as Protestant, despite the strong influence and 'capitalist outlook' of Catholics in the business community in all of these countries.


The notion of the protestant work ethic faced some criticism in the twentieth century. The strongest such criticism was that it revolved mostly around the culture and history of Europe and did not take into account societies that had never been Christian. Examples often cited are East Asian nations like Japan which have a strong work ethic but never had more than a small minority of Protestants. Others feel that the recent economic progress of Catholic nations like Ireland makes the term at best of historical use. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... East Asia Geographic East Asia. ... Work ethic is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. ...


The capitalist development of Catholic northern Italy and southwestern Germany before and during the Protestant Reformation is also cited as a counter argument that other factors, including geographical and political ones, were the main drivers for capitalist development, not Protestantism per se. Similarly, the deep economic factors that gave rise to capitalist accumulation and development existed in Europe prior to the Reformation in 1517 and owe little to any religious factor, but more to the unravelling of feudalism and the functioning of governance institutions that strengthened property rights and lowered transaction costs.


See also

Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer. ... A Watt steam engine, the steam engine that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the world. ... In Mormonism, the Biblical account of Adam and Eve is believed to be partly literal and partly symbolic, with much meaning and clarification added in the Book of Moses (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 3-5) and in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 2). ... The Idler issue 36, the money issue The Idler is a bi-yearly British magazine devoted to promoting its ethos of idle living and all that entails. ... Prosperity theology or Prosperity doctrine is the doctrine that prosperity and success in business is external evidence of Gods favor. ... Work ethic is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. ... Despite, or perhaps because of, Webers influence on modern economics and sociology, aspects of his work have been criticised. ...

References

Max Weber. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Chas. Scribner's sons, 1958. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is a book written by Max Weber, a German economist and sociologist in 1904 and 1905 that began as a series of essays. ...


Robert Green, editor. The Weber Thesis Controversy. D.C. Heath, 1973, covers some of the criticism of Weber's theory.


External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Why Work? // Are we "anti-work"? (1432 words)
Many of us think of work not just as effort expended in a productive process, but as a "necessary evil" - in other words, work is what we have to do so we can support ourselves.
If your concept of work is drudgery, if you think of your job as something you'd rather not do if it weren't for the money, if you simply can't wait to retire so you can "enjoy life" - that kind of thinking is what we define as wage slavery, and we seek to abolish it.
There is a difference between "jobs" and work, as we see it, though many people use these terms interchangeably.
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