Puritan Asceticism Theme Analysis

Sociologist Max Weber posits that the third major contributor to Protestantism’s “capitalist spirit” is the development of a new form of asceticism, or self-discipline and avoidance of any form of indulgence. Since Martin Luther rejected Catholicism’s monastic asceticism—where monks remove themselves from worldly pleasures by living in secluded monasteries—a new concept of asceticism needed to take its place, one that did not frown upon Protestant work or wealth. Weber suggests that no group developed this new asceticism as well as the English Puritans, who embrace the ideals of both Martin Luther and John Calvin. By examining English Puritan asceticism, Weber argues that Protestantism produced a concept of asceticism that enabled them to dominate as capitalists and created the modern middle-class, yet also eliminated much of the vibrancy from Western culture.

Building on Luther’s concept of the Protestant “calling” and Calvinism’s belief that hard work is the only evidence of salvation, the Puritans adapted the concept of asceticism to encourage hard work, saving, and investment. Weber posits that since the Puritans cannot use the traditional model of asceticism—which demands forgoing wealth and possessions—they change it. To this end, Puritan theologian Richard Baxter taught that “idleness,” rather than wealth, is the true sin. He writes that men must work “as long as it is day,” and “only action, not idleness and indulgence, […] serves to increase [God’s] glory.” Within this paradigm, wealth is only sinful if one stops to enjoy it, thereby embracing leisure rather than glorifying God by working. Weber notes that because idleness is a sin, even the wealthy are expected to work regardless of whether they need the money. When the Puritans amass wealth but are not allowed to spend it on any form of sinful luxury (which would be considered idleness), the only due course is either for them to save it or reinvest it in their own businesses. Both of these actions are conducive to the capitalist spirit and allow people to grow their wealth even more. Weber argues that Puritan asceticism thus opposes “enjoyment” and “consumption” while further “liberating the acquisition of wealth from the inhibitions of traditionalist ethics,” making them ideal capitalists, since they only spend money to make more money.

Weber notes that Puritan leaders like Baxter also preach their hyper-productive brand of asceticism as a way to avoid sin and sensuality, which makes them culturally dry but efficient workers. Baxter writes that asceticism, being constant work, helps people avoid sensuality and “instinctual enjoyment of life,” which again denotes leisure and which the Puritans regard as sinful. Weber suggests that this becomes yet another way in which Puritan asceticism reinforces the value of “hard, constant, physical or mental work.” To avoid sexual temptation in particular, Baxter advises his followers to “Work hard in your calling.” However, Weber states that the Puritans’ aversion to sensuality or pleasure make them dour, almost culture-less people. He notes that Puritans detest artistic expression such as theater or fashion, leaning instead toward “conformity” in all things and promoting “plain utility.” In Weber’s view, this makes the Puritans even more suited to capitalist endeavors, since uniformity and standardization in business encourage productivity and dependable profits.

Weber ultimately argues that Puritan asceticism established the middle class—the height of capitalist enterprise since it eliminated the distinction between nobility and peasantry—though this comes at the cost of the loss of culture and the rise of materialism. According to Weber, Puritan asceticism’s constant and dependable creation of wealth “always benefited the tendency toward a middle-class, economically rational conduct of life.” However, with this heightened rationalism and resistance toward artistic expression or truly enjoying one’s life comes a loss of vibrant culture. Weber refers to the German writer Goethe’s mourning of this loss, saying that the growth of Puritan asceticism and their capitalist spirit signaled a “resigned farewell to a period of full and fine humanity, the likes of which we shall not see again.” Additionally, although Puritan asceticism tries to ward off materialism, Weber argues that it ironically brought about the greatest materialist age in human history. He states, “As asceticism began to change the world and endeavored to exercise its influence over it, the outward goods of the world gained increasing and finally inescapable power over men, as never before in history.” Weber thus argues that Puritan asceticism, as a major contributor to Protestantism’s capitalist spirit, created an intensely anti-ascetic world driven entirely by profit, growth, and material wealth.