Max Weber 2

From Geography

Max Weber (1864-1920) was a German sociologist and political economist, who had a great influence on social research, social theory and the discipline of sociology itself. Along with Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim, Weber is often cited as one of the three principal founders of modern social science. One of his best-known economic works has been 'The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905). In it, Weber argued that capitalism in northern Europe developed as a result of the Protestant work ethic. According to Weber, the Protestant ethic influenced many people in developing their own enterprises and accumulating wealth for investment. But, Weber argued, the idea of 'capitalist accumulation' didn't develop because the Protestant churches and doctrines overlooked acquisitiveness as such, but more through its claim to productive dedication to 'beruf' in consumption. This idea is often also referred to as 'the Weber thesis' (http://homepage.newschool.edu/het//home.htm).

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