By: Kayli Hillebrand on March 2, 2022
Karl Polanyi, author of The Great Transformation was credited for saying “my life is a ‘world’ life–I lived the life of the human world…. My work is for Asia, for Africa, for the new peoples.”[1] While much of this economic and historical book was beyond my basic understanding of economics, what struck me in both…
By: Troy Rappold on March 2, 2022
“The Great Transformation,” written by Karl Polanyi and published in 1944, traces the history of the free market economic system. It also criticizes its ideological foundation. Milton Friedman would use its pages either for starting a fire or to line the litter box. The best part of the book is the history lesson he takes…
By: Eric Basye on March 2, 2022
Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1886, Karl Polanyi had a colorful career that in and of itself is worthy of a sociological review. Having begun to write The Great Transformation in 1930, it was not until 1944, when Polanyi was living in the United States, that it was first published during WWII. However, remaining in…
By: Mary Kamau on February 28, 2022
Life will not always be easy and it’s very easy to give up when faced with tough challenges. There is an anonymous quote that says, ‘for success, persistence has no substitute,’ you have no choice but to persist in the face of adversity in order to succeed. Steven Pressfield in his book, The war on…
By: Henry Gwani on February 27, 2022
The Map that Changed the World is, among other things, a powerful reminder of the fact that success is possible regardless of constraints. In other words, if God calls someone to a certain task and that individual does their best to fulfil this calling, there is no telling what significant outcomes could result – even…
By: Elmarie Parker on February 24, 2022
Joseph Campbell wrote, “Not everyone has a destiny: only the hero who has plunged to touch it, and has come up again—with a ring.”[1] Simon Winchester, author, journalist, and broadcaster, might offer a paraphrase based on his book, The Map that Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology.[2] He…
By: Denise Johnson on February 24, 2022
Some people may say we experience peace and harmony in the world, or at least until recently. Although, I personally did not experience the Second World War, I have passionately engaged with the history of that time period. The books, the people, the places and the events have impact on my world view. In my…
By: Andy Hale on February 24, 2022
In his book, “The Map That Changed the World,” Winchester gives an in-depth geological and historical survey of William Smith’s strata map. Smith, an 18th and 19th century English geologist, began his career as a surveyor. Throughout his career of surveying canals, he begins to observe the depth of the strata or layers of sentiment…
By: Roy Gruber on February 24, 2022
I wonder if anyone ever traced the success rate of those voted “most likely to succeed” in their high school. Certain traits or advantages prepare some for the potential that may or may not be realized. I enjoy the true stories of those who succeeded without the outward signs indicating potential. For that reason, Forrest…
By: Troy Rappold on February 23, 2022
In Simon Winchester’s 2001 bestselling book, The Map That Changed the World, the true story is told of the world’s first geographical map and the man who created it. Such a mundane description however belies the fascinating tale that lies behind the man and his achievement. With a novelist’s touch, the author Simon Winchester details…
By: Jonathan Lee on February 23, 2022
Simon Winchester, the author of The map that changed the world, writes about the epic and stretched journey of William Smith, a geologist who mapped the first ever geological map of England, Wales, and southern Scotland, which gave way to modern geological discoveries. The book can be categorized under biography, and Winchester describes the revolutionary…
By: Kayli Hillebrand on February 23, 2022
According to the National Geographic, a map is, “a symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually drawn on a flat surface. Maps present information about the world in a simple, visual way.”[1] Maps are critical to how we understand and navigate the world. Today, most of society is reliant on a version of…
By: Eric Basye on February 23, 2022
I cannot help but feel deep sadness as I finish The Map That Changed the World by Simon Winchester. Written as a historical review of the geological accomplishments of the late William Smith who, in 1815, created the world’s first geological map. This map “heralded the beginnings of a whole new science…. [and] laid the…
By: Mary Kamau on February 19, 2022
Max Weber was a German sociologist, economist and politician who believed that the protestant work ethic was a key force in the emergence of the unplanned and uncoordinated modern capitalism. In his book, The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism, Weber states that capitalism in Northern Europe evolved as a result of the protestant…
By: Elmarie Parker on February 19, 2022
What influenced the development of the capitalistic way of life? This is the question Max Weber sought to address in The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism (and Other Writings). Weber (1864-1920) wrote this treatise in 1905 (the book in which it is found also includes the back-and-forth written conversations he had with critiques…
By: Denise Johnson on February 18, 2022
Reflections of a brain-dead sloth on the Protestant work ethic, and its interrelationship with the “spirit of Capitalism.” [1] I sit in the silence of my home now that the stalwart construction workers of the past two weeks have ceased their pounding. In an economic season of labor shortages and supply chain issues, the timely…
By: Kayli Hillebrand on February 17, 2022
Well-known German sociologist and historian, Max Weber made significant contributions to the fields of social science and cross-cultural studies. In his work, The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism, he argues that the stimulus of capitalism had a spiritual root, namely from the Calvinists. As a book categorized within the social sciences, the historical…
By: Michael Simmons on February 17, 2022
There’s an old joke in the American South that asks, what’s the difference between a Baptist and Methodist? The punch line? The Methodist will speak to you in the liquor store. This joke always brings a smirk to the most stoic Baptists and Methodists among us. It is funny because it taps on the underlying…
By: Nicole Richardson on February 17, 2022
The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism by Max Weber makes the argument that John Calvin’s doctrine of predestination paved the way for the formulation of the protestant work ethic and in doing so birthed the ethos of capitalism. Weber, a German sociologist, fancied himself as a historian of economies. His book offered a…
By: Troy Rappold on February 17, 2022
In Max Weber’s book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, the idea of religion shaping human characteristics, such as industriousness and self-denial, can positively affect the creation of wealth among the citizens of a nation. The premise of this book is immensely fascinating. The interplay of how faith shapes an individual’s work is…
