Weber, Max (1864–1920)

Max Weber, an original mind and one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, laid the ground for the theoretical and empirical foundations of the sociology of religion and the comparative analysis of civilizations. His classical essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of[Page 1372]Capitalism is a refutation of a vulgar historical materialism that dismisses the role of religious values and beliefs in social action. In this early essay, published between 1904 and 1905 in the journal Archive for Social Science and Social Policy, Weber addresses the problem of the relationship between religion and modernity and the impact of religious values and beliefs on the modifications of human behavior and its subsequent effects on the rise of modern capitalism. His analysis focuses on ...