Religion as a Force For Social Change

Question 1

What does Weber argue about calvinism and capitalism?

Answer 1

Calvinism helped to bring about major social change- the emergence of modern capitalism in Northern Europe in C16th and C17th

Question 2

What are the 4 calvinist beliefs?

Answer 2

Predestination: God has predetermined what souls would be saved before birth and neither faith nor works can change this

Divine transcendence: God is so incomparibly greater than any mortal that no one can claim to know His will

Asceticism: abstinence, self disipline and self denial

Vocation/Calling: the religious duty to constantly work

Question 3

What did predestination and divine transcendence cause Calvinists to feel? What was their response to this?

Answer 3

Salvation panic: they don’t know if they are saved or not and there is nothing they can do to know for sure

Work very hard and live an ascetic lifestyle

Question 4

Functions of the wealth that calvinists got?

Answer 4

1. Helped to cope with salvation panic as they viewed wealth as a sign of God’s favour/salvation
2. Creating capitalism by accumulating wealth in the most efficient way possible and not squandering it

Question 5

Kautsky’s criticism of Weber

Answer 5

Overestimates the role of ideas and underestimates role of economic factors