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Martin Luther
A French theologian who helped lead the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, and the father of Calvinism. Calvin developed the doctrine of predestination, that teaches that God elected which human beings will be saved and which will be damned before he created the earth. This means that no one can control their own salvation, but must simply hope that they are among God’s elect. Weber argues that this creates a deep insecurity within Calvinists, since they never know if they are saved or damned. To address this insecurity, Calvinists take Luther’s idea of the Christian’s calling to its extreme, tirelessly working in their secular occupation to prove to themselves that they number among the saved, as evidenced by their virtuous hard work.
John Calvin Quotes in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
The The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism quotes below are all either spoken by John Calvin or refer to John Calvin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1, Section 3
Quotes
The salvation of souls and this alone is at the heart of [Protestants’] life and work. Their ethical goals and the practical effects of their teaching are all anchored firmly here and are the consequences of purely religious motives. And we shall therefore have to be prepared for the cultural effects of the Reformation to be in large measure […] unforeseen and unwished for.
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Part 2, Section 2
Quotes
If we may sum up what has been said so far, then, innerworldly Protestant asceticism works with all it force against the uninhibited enjoyment of possessions; it discourages consumption, especially the consumption of luxuries. Conversely, it has the effect of liberating the acquisition of wealth from the inhibitions of traditionalist ethics; it breaks the fetters on the striving for gain by not only legalizing it, but […] seeing it as directly willed by God.
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John Calvin Quotes in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
The The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism quotes below are all either spoken by John Calvin or refer to John Calvin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1, Section 3
Quotes
The salvation of souls and this alone is at the heart of [Protestants’] life and work. Their ethical goals and the practical effects of their teaching are all anchored firmly here and are the consequences of purely religious motives. And we shall therefore have to be prepared for the cultural effects of the Reformation to be in large measure […] unforeseen and unwished for.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Section 2
Quotes
If we may sum up what has been said so far, then, innerworldly Protestant asceticism works with all it force against the uninhibited enjoyment of possessions; it discourages consumption, especially the consumption of luxuries. Conversely, it has the effect of liberating the acquisition of wealth from the inhibitions of traditionalist ethics; it breaks the fetters on the striving for gain by not only legalizing it, but […] seeing it as directly willed by God.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
