Weber2

Max Weber's 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 like the Calvinists played a role in creating the capitalistic spirit. He first observes a connection between being Protestant and also being involved in business, and he says his intent is to explore religion as the main cause of the modern economic conditions. Weber traces the roots of the "spirit" that defines capitalist institutions back to the Protestant Reformation, when Martin Luther led a religious movement that resulted in the emergence of Protestantism.

It's interesting how much Weber focuses on religion. He doesn't simply take religion on its own terms, as in what it means to the people who founded as well as follow it. No, to Weber, religion creates broad social values and can be key in the creation of social institutions completely unrelated to its own goals.

However logical Weber's argument appears, he relies a lot on anecdotes and case studies to give sense for what these terms mean. His discussion of the spirit of capitalism relies heavily on the writings of Ben Franklin. I think this proves to be the weakest part of Weber's writings. His examples give a good grounding to his definitions; however, because they are simply examples, they can be criticized as not representative of the larger ethos. The lack of quantitative information questions his writing.