Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of...

Max Weber’s work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is arguably one of the most important works in all of sociology and social theory, both classical and modern. In the decades since its inception, this work has gone on to influence generations of social scientists with its analysis of the effect of Protestantism on the development of modern industrial capitalism. This work, examining such broad topics as religion, economics, and history, is not only an interesting and insightful look into the history of the development of capitalism, but a major work in laying a foundation for future works of social theory. Max Weber’s main contention in this work is that what he calls the â€Å"Protestant Ethic† played a vital role in†¦show more content†¦Catholics are more likely to pursue a career in the crafts, and become master craftsmen, whereas Protestants are more likely to seek work in factories, and become skilled workers and administrators (Web er, 6). He says that the differences in the economic outcomes of the two different religious groups can be seen the character of their religious beliefs, not just in the historical and material conditions that they came from. Many claim that Catholics were more focused on other-worldly things, whereas Protestants were more materialistic in their outlook (Weber, 8). But Weber disagrees with this, saying â€Å"Hardly anything shows so clearly as this parallel that, with such vague ideas as that of the alleged otherworldliness of Catholicism, and the alleged material joy of living of Protestantism,†¦nothing can be accomplished for our purpose† (Weber, 9). Protestantism combines an aggressive capitalistic business sense with an extreme sense of piety and asceticism. The Protestant denominations created a distinction between capital acquisition, which could be a good thing, and the spending of wealth, which was considered immoral. Protestants did not accumulate wealth in orde r to spend it, as many other groups would have done and had done throughout history. Therefore, Weber states, â€Å"If any inner relationship between certain expressions of the old Protestant spirit and modern capitalistic culture is to be found, we must attempt to find it, for better or for worse not in its allegedShow MoreRelatedNotes on Max Webers The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism859 Words   |  3 Pagesintegration and alienation fit within a modern society. These paradigms combine reflexively into a notion of history. Max Weber was a German politician, scholar, economist, and sociologist. In fact, he founded the modern studies of sociology, public administration, and organizational theory. He was born in 1864 and so was writing and publishing after Marx, but still looking at capitalism, socialism, and the various dictates of society as ways humans are shaped, actualized, and able to have upward mobilityRead MoreEssay about Analysis of Max Webers Theory of Capi talism747 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of Max Webers Theory of Capitalism Max Weber’s original theory on the rise of Capitalism in Western Europe has been an often studied theory. In its relationship to Protestantism, specifically Calvinism, Weber’s theory has been in scholarly debate since it’s release in 1904. â€Å"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism† puts forth not capitalism as an institute, but as the precursor to the historical origins of capitalism. Weber’s attempts to use statistical data, as well as churchRead MoreMax Weber s Relation Between Religion And Capitalism1028 Words   |  5 PagesMax Weber is a German sociologist, who studied the relation between religion and capitalism in sociology. His theory brings forth many interesting aspects and point of views. Many could argue of religion’s importance to sociology, but Weber informs us of how big of an aspect religion really is. Max Weber was an interesting man; born in Germany on April 21st, 1864, to Max Weber Sr. his father and Helene Fallenstien Weber his mother. His parents had two very different views on life; his father a politicallyRead MoreIs Weber s Idea Of Economic Traditionalism1189 Words   |  5 PagesIs weber’s idea of economic traditionalism analysis relevant to the study of religion? Introduction The core of research on religion at present is of no doubt touching Max Weber’s ideas on economic traditionalism. Weber in Solimano (2012: 42) talked about â€Å"the importance of religion, especially the Protestant ethic† in economic life. By venturing into the field of sociology of religion, Weber further succeeded in arousing many scholars’ interest in the study of different religions in the contemporaryRead MoreKarl Marx And Max Weber1324 Words   |  6 Pagesand Max Weber were influential sociologists that paved the way for modern sociological school of thought. Both, Karl Marx and Max Weber contributed a lot to the study and foundation of sociology. Without their contributions sociology would not be as prominent as it is today. From the contribution of how sociology should be studied, to how they applied their theories to everyday life has influenced many sociologists. Predominantly, both of these theorists’ discussed the effects of capitalism, howR ead MoreMarx s Theory Of Historical Materialism1495 Words   |  6 PagesCapitalism is an economic system in a society in which private owners control industry and trade within a country, rather than the state. Both Karl Marx and Max Weber, have written theories on how this system develops in countries and creates a nation state that is characterised by production and wealth. Marx’s theory takes more of a top-down approach, suggesting that people have little power in how their society is run. On the other hand, Weber’s bottom-up approach demonstrates how people have theRead More Summary of Max Webers The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism441 Words   |  2 PagesSummary of Max Webers The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Max Webers The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is a study of the relationship between the ethics of ascetic Protestantism and the emergence of the spirit of modern capitalism. Weber argues that the religious ideas of groups such as the Calvinists played a role in creating the capitalistic spirit. Weber first observes a correlation between being Protestant and being involved in business, and declares his intentRead MoreKarl Marx And Max Weber1332 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent religion in depth that exist on earth and various perspectives of well known people on the study of religion. I chose Karl Marx and Max Weber for my paper assignment. Two sociologists and philosophers have discussed their views on religion and its impact on society. Most of the Sociologist of that time wrote about the role of religion in society, Karl Marx and Max Weber observations are particularly relevant for our course. Religion is one of the principle social ideologies that impacts social st abilityRead MoreMax Weber And His Contributions1566 Words   |  7 PagesPhala Monte Ms. Berner SYG 2000 01Z 7 June 2015 Max Weber and His Contributions Throughout the early 1900s, Max Weber was considered as one of the three founders of sociology, because he had acquired many ideas that profoundly influenced social theory and social research. For sociology as a whole, Weber’s study of sociology is theoretical-historical, because he had the idea of rationalization based on his observations from the Protestant Work Ethic and other societies to analyze modern societiesRead MoreMax Weber And Marx s Theory On The Emergence Of Modern Capitalism2324 Words   |  10 PagesMax Weber like Marx and Engels produced a theory on the emergence of modern capitalism. Weber, unlike Marx and Engels, does not strictly use a historical materialist perspective to explain the appearance of capitalism. This is exemplified through his work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. A historical materialist perspective on history designates economic factors as central to the way we define historical stages. Although Weber acknowledges the im portant impact that economic factors

The media has always changed b... free essay sample

The media has always changed broadcasts to fit their personal or corporate agenda. Many people believe that the news was originally set up to act as a national tool to stir thoughts, while others believe that it was created to pass along news faster and to a wider amount of viewers. Now the media is using its broadcasts to entertain, frighten and cause a lot of controversy between political parties, but this keeps viewers watching. There tends to be a lot of fake news and it has a very strong liberal and conservative bias. Each reporter is doing their job but because they are following different stories it causes people to assume that the article is fake news or biased to fit own agendas. News is supposed to be informative, knowledgeable and some may even go as far to say that to audiences, the media is truthful. With this being said, it can be noted that the media serves major corporations. We will write a custom essay sample on The media has always changed b or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If the content gets more viewers and the network gets paid more communication industry acts as a vehicle of promotion for ten major corporations. McChesney discusses how power operates in our society. These greatly impact media sectors, and based upon this reading I have come to believe that since corporations are sponsoring and/or controlling news providers and what is being reported, the media is catering to large successful companies. McChesney infers how ironic it is that if the First Amendment grants us the freedom of press, then why do we need permission of the tyrannical billionaires in control of cable channels, books, magazines, radio stations, billboards, TV stations, etc. (explain) to launch a new movie studio or major daily newspaper? Freedom of press states that people have the right to create our own media if they so desire. Consequently, although the media does hold a strong power over public ears and eyes, there is a higher power in which the media assists. In terms of interests that the media serves not only is the public concerned with the political, economic and religious aspects of the news, but (who) explains that audiences crave more infotainment. Infotainment is engaging to viewers/listeners because it often deals with sex scandals, murders, celebrities, etc. McChesney seems disheartened and disappointed when he says that political coverage in American media is empty and meaningless. The tough questions on important issues, such as the War on Terror, are being ignored and there is less and less of political coverage these days. (McChesney). (where) Another important thing to consider when it comes to the media is fairness, objectivity and bias. There is a fine line between these three factors, but it should be known that they are very different from one another. Unlike objectivity, bias is an inclination. Objectivity would be more similar to fairness, but both are still different. If one reports from an objective point of view, this report will show no influenced by emotion or personal prejudices. Very much like objectivity, fairness is justice to all parties. Lastly, comes bias. Several authors cited in this piece and I all agree bias is one serious fad in mass media. I believe that most reports I see/hear are bias in one way or another. In turn, bias is not strongly linked to poor and irresponsible reporting. Political bias is commonly displayed, if bias is detected in news reports, then I do not find this type of journalism plausible nor do I consider it responsible or dependable. Being able to depend on journalists and the stories they recount is key for the media world because people will believe mostly everything on their television screens. Many believe that traditional newscasts will become less significant in global communities simply because newscasts are not traditional anymore. The public has a hard time discerning fact from fiction and journalists are well aware of this. Most importantly, we need honest, accurate, ethical, and independent journalists because reliability and the factualness of news is not often or not always considered or even thought about by a handful of viewers. If the audience has become immune to accepting the first piece of news thrown in their faces, then the only ones that will actually have the power to pick out the truth are journalists.

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The Statue of Libertys Origins in Egypt

The Statue of Liberty's Origins in Egypt No, Miss Liberty of Statue-of-Liberty fame wasnt always imagined as the scowling, linebacker-throated Midwestern matron of steely spiky Germanic stock that she is today. She was supposed to look like an Arab peasant, robed in the folds of Muslim precepts. She wasnt even supposed to be eternally standing at the entrance of New York Harbor, warning new arrivals to the New World about New Jersey to her right. Thats all schoolbook revisionism designed not to traumatize young American pupils with the reality behind Liberty: that she was supposed to be the welcome maam at the entrance of the Suez Canal in Egypt, that her name was supposed to be either Egypt or Progress, and that the flame she was brandishing was to symbolize the light she was bringing to Asia, which had claims to newness all its own. Lighting the Way to Asia All this from the imaginative scruffles of Frà ©dà ©ric Auguste Bartholdi, the Alsatian-French sculptor whod fallen in love with his own Orientalist fantasies about the Middle East after a trip to Egypts Luxor spreads in 1855. He liked Egypts colossal sculptures, those granite beings of imperturbable majesty with their eyes seemingly fixed on the limitless future. He liked just as much the then-fashionable notions of Europeans thinking themselves the Orients the best thing since unsliced baklava. Bartholdi returned to Egypt in 1869 with the blueprints for a toga-draped giant of a woman whod double-up as a lighthouse at the entrance of the Suez Canal, which opened that year to fanfare and (British and French) stockholders delight. The Suez Canal may have been in Egypt. But Egypt wasnt reaping its monetary benefits. The American Civil War had done wonders for Egyptian wealth thanks to the blockade of Southern cotton, which turned Egyptian cotton into gold. But the price of cotton crashed after the Civil War and so did Egypts economy. Suez revenue could have picked up the slack. Instead, it went into the pockets of European investors (until Egypts Gama Abdel Nasser nationalized the waterway in 1956, to the disingenuous fury of France and Britain). From Lady Egypt to Lady Liberty As Bartholdi was sketching one likeness of his great statue after another, it became apparent that his plan would never get Egypts financing. Bartholdi was crushed. He sailed to New York. And there, as his ship was entering New York Harbor, he saw Bedloes Island, deserted, oval-shaped, perfectly positioned to bear his creation. She wouldnt be Egypt. But shed still be Bartholds. He worked out an arrangement with Gustav Eiffel to build the statue in 350 pieces in Paris, for the French government to pay for the statue (that was back when French and Americans had more respect than reproach for each other), and with American donors to pay for the 89-foot pedestal. Bartholdis goal was to have the dedication coincide with the centennial of the American Revolution, somewhere around July 4, 1876. It happened a bit later, on Oct. 28, 1886, with a military, naval and civic parade in Manhattan, ending at the Battery at the tip of the island, with Gen. Charles P. Stone, who as the statues American engineer, was essentially its midwife, was the parades grand marshal. She was no longer an Egyptian woman. She was Liberty Enlightening the World. New York Inaugurates Liberty The weather did not cooperate. The rain was so bad that a New York Times editorial called it almost a national misfortune that robbed the pageant of much of its effect. Not that U.S. President Grover Cleveland was going to miss a chance to make himself slightly immortal by association with Lady Liberty as he accepted this grand and imposing work of art, though in words of granite neither grand nor imposing: This token of the affection and consideration of the people of France assures us that in our efforts to command to mankind a government resting upon popular will, we still have beyond the American continent a steadfast ally, while it also demonstrates the kinship of the republic. At that point, the historical record notes that there were loud cheers, not least those wondering who wrote that stuff. But Cleveland got a bit more colorful in his next salvo: We are not here today to bow before the representative of a fierce and warlike god, filled with wrath and vengeance, but instead, we contemplate our own peaceful deity keeping watch before the open gates of America. Well, the battleship Tennessees warlike batteries, which had just boomed, notwithstanding. Instead of grasping in her hands the thunderbolts of terror and of death, she holds aloft the light that illumines the way to mans enfranchisement. More cheers. Libertys light, he concluded, shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and mens oppression until liberty shall enlighten the world. Egypt Forgotten Of Egypts inspiration in all this, not a word. The majority of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the Middle East, Egyptians among them, would never know the statues genesis, only their own. And their own, to this day (even though theyve long ago stopped sailing into New York Harbor as immigrants), remains one mired in the authoritarian, unfree grasp of regimes from the Hindu Kush to West and North Africa that have yet to see the light Cleveland spoke of, and Bartholdi imagined. One last irony: Bedloes Island was not officially renamed until many years later when it became Liberty Island. The year? 1956. Gamal Abdel Nasser must have smiled.

Developing states Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Developing states - Essay Example As pointed out, some states within world nations are generally termed as ‘developing’ because those states show development in certain areas, but certain problems hinder those states from attaining development. For instance, less industrialization is a serious problem faced by the developing states in Asia and Latin America. Comparing with poor states/nations, the standard of living in the developing states is comparatively high. But this does not prove that the standard of living in the developing states is similar to that of the developed nations in Europe and America. On the other side, most of the developing states lack economic independence. â€Å"These nations have often been handicapped by poor infrastructure, inadequate education, rampant corruption, and high trade barriers.†1 So, one can see that income disparity is a common problem faced by developing states. Still, developing states share certain societal, financial and political characteristics. For instance, most of the developing states were under colonial rule. This resulted in the amalgamation of certain colonial elements with social structure of these states. For instance, one can easily identify the influence of European cultural characteristics in the developing states in Asia and Africa. Besides, almost all the developing states face the problem of unequal distribution of wealth. To be specific, the inefficient political systems within these states allow the elite class to enjoy all the economic benefits. So, one can see that developing states share certain common characteristics, apart from poor and developed states. Summing, the developing states show progress, but the same is insufficient to term these states as developed. In addition, lack of effective political system is an important problem faced by developing states. One can see that the efficiency of political system can lead a nation towards rapid economic development. Still, the political systems within

The central dilemma of macro-economic policy is not the choice between Essay

The central dilemma of macro-economic policy is not the choice between using monetary or fiscal policy but whether to intervene - Essay Example The macro-economic policy is concerned with carrying out certain economic objectives. These objectives aim to eradicate the main macro-economic problems within an economy. These include unemployment, inflation, and negative balance of payments position, a low rate of economic growth and inequitable distribution of wealth (Stan lake, Grant, pp.499, 1967). Macroeconomics conventionally has two governing views on policy; these are interventionist and laissez-faire (Dixon, pp.2, 2000). The paper, before examining these two views in details, will describe monetary and fiscal policy. Monetary and fiscal policies are the two instruments that the government uses to tackle the amount of expenditure floating in the economy. This is because levels of expenditure highly affect the level of inflation, growth, and unemployment. There are varieties of different forms of government macroeconomic policies. However, the best known and the widely used are fiscal policy and monetary policy. These belong to the demand-side economy that is these policies have the aim of affecting the level of aggregate demand in the economy. In a concise form, aggregate demand of a country is as follows: AD= C+I+G-T+(X-M) Where C=Consumption I=Investment G=Government Expenditure T= Taxes X=Exports M=Imports (Universitip, N.p., N.d). Both fiscal and monetary policies are part of the ‘Keynesian’ school of thought that will be discussed in the paper. These two policies can ‘fine-tune’ various economic problems within the economy such as inflation and output growth (Langdana, pp. 10, 2009). Fiscal policy caters to the two components within the economy i.e. Government expenditure and taxes. If there are inflationary pressures within the economy, then the government can increase the level of direct or indirect taxes, or it might also decrease government spending. Both these measures will reduce inflation in the economy. However, during times of recession, the government can incre ase the government spending. This will cause an injection of money into the economy, bringing it out of the recession. In addition, during war years, various countries especially USA saw massive increases in government spending, thus increasing the growth rate. The increase in spending was to due to the funding of the war. The level, the timing, and the composition of taxation and government spending can have an important effect on people’s lives (Stan & Grant, pp. 503, 1967). Monetary Policy also affects the level of aggregate demand. The tools that are used are either the rate of interest or the supply of money. In many countries, it is an acceptable view that the control of the money supply is probably the most significant tool to affect the level of demand in the economy (Stan & Grant, pp. 521, 1967). An increase in the level of interest will mean less spending, because people will tend to save more in such times, because the return on saving will be higher. However, when the interest rate is low, the cost of borrowing will be less, meaning that there will be an increase in borrowing and hence consumption. Therefore, the monetary policy is very important because it affects the level of aggregate demand. One very recent example of the importance of monetary policy is that during the Crash of 2008 in United States, for two years, the interest rate was maintained at 1% (New Work, 2008), which meant that the level of consumption was

Visiting Nurse Health System Essay Example for Free

Visiting Nurse Health System Essay I. Executive Summary Visiting Nurse Health System (VNHS) is experiencing difficulty in quantifying the benefits of their telemonitoring services used to provide care to patients recently discharged from hospitals. While the company believes these services provide real value to the patients, hospitals and insurance companies, VNHS is worried about the ability to provide future investment in the technology given the tenuous healthcare reimbursement environment. To continue to grow its telemonitoring services, VHNS should: †¢ Assess patient specific effectiveness of telemonitors †¢ Quantify the advantage of telemonitoring to insurance companies †¢ Reduce the technology’s accessibility limitations †¢ Find alternatives to the telemonitoring service †¢ Create and implement a marketing strategy In order to accomplish these goals, we recommend the following: Develop an electronic means of assessing telemonitoring usage and compliance with final clinician approval for removal of telemonitor. †¢ This will increase the effectiveness of telemonitors by eliminating patients who do not use telemonitors effectively. †¢ Automated analysis will be quick and simple. Lobby with FDA and government agencies to pass new act/regulation which forces insurance companies to reimburse for telemonitoring devices †¢ Benefits the entire health care industry and reduces cost at multiple levels. (Insurance companies, patients and hospitals) Create secure website and computer application to compliment Health Buddy. †¢ Gives patients a variety of choices to transmit data †¢ Inexpensive and effective, with no need to upgrade Health Buddy Integrate Health Buddy with alternative technologies †¢ Having options to do telemonitoring via internet, mobile application and voice based automated telephone systems will allow VNHS to keep the cost low. Create a marketing strategy that targets hospitals and insurance companies that do not have a preferred partner status with VNHS. †¢ Acquiring preferred status has a direct correlation to the future success of VNHS †¢ By targeting specific hospitals and insurance companies, the marketing message can be tailored to each individual client. II. Overview Visiting Nurse Health System (VNHS) is an accredited nonprofit home health company located in Atlanta, GA. As a home health company it depends on patient reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies to fund a majority of its operations. As the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) moved to a flat fee for reimbursement and also implemented initiatives to reduce the amount of hospital readmissions due to preventable causes, healthcare organizations are under increased pressure to lower costs while also delivering high quality health care. One way VNHS is trying to become more efficient and meet CMS goals is to use telemonitoring devices to assess a patient’s health remotely. By remotely monitoring patients, VNHS can reduce clinician visits to the patient location as well as monitor potentially important health information that can prevent the patient from having to be readmitted to the hospital. The Health Buddy telemonitoring device has the potential to improve patient outcomes while reducing VNHS cost. The downside is that while CMS encourages the use of telemonitors, VNHS does not receive reimbursement from CMS or insurance companies when it purchases telemonitors. With a limited supply of telemonitors and a significant cost associated with each, VNHS must decide if telemonitoring is the most cost effective way to increase patient health outcomes while also keeping its costs low.