So, I know this is long overdue, but I finally got around to reading "The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" by Max Weber. And...I feel mixed on it. I mean, Weber does make a case for the hyper work ethic in western culture and the idea of work as a calling as arising from protestantism, noting the lack of such an ethic in non protestant cultures prior to the protestant reformation (despite capitalism existing). But at the same time, I think that this analysis is a bit dated.
There certainly are elements of Weber's thesis that are relevant in my opinion. I mean, in a lot of religious views, work is often seen as a calling, some Christians believe God has a plan for everyone's life and that their job is associated with that. There's also the very Christian oriented idea that everyone must work or be deprived of material needs and that a lack of work ethic is some sort of deep character flaw that needs to be corrected.
However, as the work ethic as secularized, I think a lot of its meaning has disappeared. There is, for example, no real opposition to rich people not working. If you're wealthy, you owned it. I actually think in the American tradition, as I debate people, ideas like John Locke's idea of property is FAR more of a problem ideologically with work. I mean, this might be related to my own biases, and the fact that I'm sympathetic to indepentarianism and Karl Widerquist's works, which are often critical of private property, but there's a real concept of property absolutism found in western society. People are to acquire wealth from labor, and siezing of property through taxes is theft. These ideas come from Locke's natural rights theory. And while this theory has ALSO melded with Christianity as we can see in Noebel's Christian worldview, in which fundamentalist Christianity meets American conservatism, yeah I think that the protestant work ethic has at least melded with a few other ideas along the way.
Still, I can't say I disagree with his conclusion. Capitalism is much like an iron cage in which we are all subjected to a dehumanizing process of labor for the sake of profit accumulation. In America, we have this idea of American exceptionalism, in which we're special little snowflakes specifically because of our belief in hard work and that everyone can make it. While that philosophy may have served America well in the 19th century when we were an agrarian society where anyone can go west, get land, and make a life for themselves, that philosophy serves us poorly in the 21st century where our society is more developed, similar to European countries. Heck, in the 19th century, we were already seeing problems arising as industrialization concentrated people into cities, causing many modern problems with housing that were documented by the likes of Henry George.
The fact is, we are haunted by old ideologies one way or another. Sure. The protestant work ethic secularized may still haunt us, but I really do have to agree with say, Widerquist in arguing that stuff like the enclosure movement, colonialism, and industrialization has created a propertyless peasant class that has been forced into the work force. And of course, we know from Van Parijs that our states' paternalistic approach to the poor via welfare is largely based on Christianity, specifically the idea that we are to provide charity for people, but that we must also subject the poor to work, leading to the victorian poor houses, punitive mindsets toward forcing the poor into the work force for their own good.
So yeah, I guess some aspects of the protestant work ethic still haunt us, but I believe that Weber's theory is a bit dated, simplistic, and that there's a lot more that goes into this than just the ghosts of calvinism. Even if that is one ingredient in the overall recipe that is "jobism" as a whole.
Still, i do see a major contrast between my humanist inspired capitalism (ie, "human centered capitalism") and the protestant work ethic. Again, my ideology tends to be that the purpose of capitalism is to pursue human ends. The protestant work ethic is the opposite, imposing strict work ethic on top of asceticism, or renunciation of earthly pleasures.
The fact that the protestant work ethic has such an ascetic component is another reason I think Weber's idea is overstated. Nothing about modern capitalism is ascetic. It's very overindulgent. When I think American capitalism, I think overweight 400 pound people going to walmart and taking those battery powered carts meant for disabled people and riding them around the store because they're too lazy to walk. It's going to all you can eat buffets and eating yourself into an early grave. It's this cycle of conspicuous consumption combined with hard work that really defines American capitalism. Poor people are expected to work hard, avoid all earthly pleasures, and keep working harder because they deserve their plight, but then middle class Americans are some of the most obnoxiously entitled people on the planet (I hate using that word, but here we are). They are short sighted, selfish, feel entitled to every pleasure in life, and the idea of being expected to sacrifice will bring down hell to pay as these guys will scream and throw tantrums until they get their way. These are the people who threw Carter out of office for telling them to wear sweaters. Who refused to stay home, or at minimum get vaccinated and wear a mask during a global pandemic. Who expect people to work for their sunday brunches at ihop, getting their nails polished at the salon, etc., with little to no concern for their health and well being. Americans are, quite frankly, selfish jerks, and I'm very embarrassed by our country sometimes. There is no asceticism here. Not even a little. And for ME of all people to complain that people should be a little more self sacrificing and less indulgent, you know something must seriously be wrong here. Because I am the dude who says we do all of this stuff to enjoyment, and I'm very hedonistic by nature.
But that's the American work ethic. Yes, everyone is expected to work hard. But then the middle class who earns their money by working and wants to spend it on luxury goods will turn into the most entitled Karens ever when there is any push back at all.They'll SCREAM BLOODY MURDER about how no one wants to work any more when their favorite restaurant has more limited hours. If I want my Texas Cheesesteak from Waffle House at 3 AM, it better be ready for me, darn it. I deserve 24/7 service, because I am a paying customer, blah blah blah.
It's hyper aggressive on the work side, but also hyper indulgent on the consumption side. Work, consume, work, consume. And of course, the poor should be willing to serve them at sub par wages because they are pieces of crap who if they dont want to do so should get a better job, but then if everyone does it and there's a labor glut, they suddenly have to hate on everyone for...not working those crappy jobs. They want instant service all the time, with no back sass and lots of servile attitudes, but they still obsess over work ethic. They see their success as evidence of their own work ethic, and the poverty of another as laziness or being deserving of it in some way.
In that sense, I really just dont agree with the protestant work ethic analysis. I mean, it's present in some respects, but it's very selective, and very...mutated if we can say it exists at all. Like I can see strains of thoughts in there from protestantism but much like a virus that has mutated over and over again, it has evolved into something else entirely.
Still, interesting book to some extent, I just wanted to give my thoughts on the subject.
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