Max Weber’s “called ascetics”
Max Weber in his essay “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,” discusses aspects of Protestantantism that helped spur the spirit of capitalism. Specifically, he analyzes the Calvinist belief in predestination and the elite, the idea of a work ethic and material gain, and the concept of a “calling” which involves individuals to become Puritan-esque ascetics that live and work in the world. This writing will explore Weber’s ideas surrounding asceticism. Weber explains that in order to assure the saint of a life that procured the transcendental end of salvation, the concept of asceticism developed. For Catholic monks asceticism was a process of subjugation of status naturae, the process of freeing oneself “from the power of irrational impulses and … dependence on the world and on nature.” (pp. 118-119) Whereas Protestantism, seeing this denial of the world as self-indulgent, chose to view asceticism as a means of action within the world as one lives out his calling. As Weber explains in his reference to Sebastian Franck, “…now every Christian had to be a monk all his life.” (p. 121) Although there were Catholic monks, like St. Francis of Assisi, who served others as part of their life’s calling, there is a striking difference in the concept of Protestant asceticism. The Reformation turned lay people into active worldly ascetics. In other words, it created individuals who believed hard work in one’s calling was a virtue and material wealth gained was a blessing from God. As Weber explains, “…the religious valuation of restless, continuous, systematic work in a worldly calling, as the highest means to asceticism, and at the same time the surest and most evident proof of rebirth and genuine faith, must have been the most powerful conceivable lever for the expansion of that attitude toward life which we have here called the spirit of capitalism.” (p. 172) If capitalism has a spirit then Weber makes an interesting connection between the Protestant Reformation and this financial structure that permeates much of the Western world. Has Capitalism become linked with Christian virtue? Does it have a righteous undertone that rings with the ethics of free will, the elect, hard work, and financial blessings? And how does the concept of asceticism as freeing oneself from the natural world relate to our current environmental state? Money, it seems for many, has become a sort of god. Its status, in some cases, has been raised above even life itself. Although the idea of being a “called ascetic” may be appealing, I’m not sure that money as a financial blessing and proof of a chosen and saved elite fits with the description. In fact, one might argue that the term ascetic no longer applies to the individual whose complete aim is one of financial gain, even if the goal is for giving the money to a great charity or cause. The ascetic can become a victim of a system of greed without realizing the damage to his own soul, even if his goals are pure. As a final thought I would like to end with a quote that bleeds truth and makes me question how Weber’s Protestant ascetic, with his view of monetary gain as a sign of salvation might prove to be a productive citizen of the world.
“When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.” ~ Cree Prophecy ~
#dminlgp #lgp3 #weber
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