Weber's Protestant Ethic

A reassessment of the debate surrounding Weber's classic work Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

This volume throws light on the intellectual and cultural background of Weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. It debates recent criticism of Weber's thesis, and confronts new historical insight on the 17th century with Weber's interpretation.The historical relationship between Protestantism, capitalism, and democracy remains one of the most controversial intellectual themes of out time. Max Weber's famous thesis about the link between the 'Protestant ethic' and the 'spirit of capitalism' and its dissolution in his own era has been both widely acclaimed and heatedly disputed since its publication in 1904–5. This volume, the result of an international, interdisciplinary effort, throws light on the intellectual and cultural background of Weber's work, debates recent criticism of Weber's thesis, and confronts new historical insight on the 17th century with Weber's interpretation.