2007-02-03 01:28:23 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Sociology
in his theoretical text, the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, max weber postulate that the only way to bring about lasting change is to involve organized religion in the process.
religion, he believes, has a profound impact on the belief system and economic success/failure of a group or society.
2007-02-03 08:28:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Arundhati's answer was a very good one. Weber believed that religion can promote social change, which is a contrast to Marx who believed that religion retards change, and that a shift to Calvanism and Prodestantism set the stage for the rise of capitalism. While he believed that the shift from a fuedal to capitalist society needed the religious, moral basis, it is conceivable that the reverse was true. It's possible that capitalism brought about Calvanism, but that is not Weber's theory.
2007-02-03 11:54:13 · answer #2 · answered by Mienk 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Weber's goal was to find reasons for the different development paths of the cultures of the Occident and the Orient, although without judging or valuing them. Weber wanted primarily to explain the distinctive elements of the Western civilization. In the analysis of his findings, Weber maintained that Calvinist (and more widely, Christian) religious ideas had had a major impact on the social innovation and development of the economic system of Europe and the United States, but noted that they were not the only factors in this development. Other notable factors mentioned by Weber included the rationalism of scientific pursuit, merging observation with mathematics, science of scholarship and jurisprudence, rational systematisation of government administration, and economic enterprise. In the end, the study of the sociology of religion, according to Weber, merely explored one phase of the freedom from magic, that "disenchantment of the world" that he regarded as an important distinguishing aspect of Western culture.
2007-02-03 09:52:14 · answer #3 · answered by Runa 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is only one simple theory of religion - it is a way of life!
2007-02-03 09:34:55 · answer #4 · answered by Sami V 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Religion is the source of all evils.
2007-02-03 09:47:30 · answer #5 · answered by liketoaskq 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋