(Sum Blog 5) Religion and Capitalism

Max Weber believed there was a correlation between religion and capitalism. A correlation simply means that there is a relationship. Weber stated that he believes religion and capitalism are causal. He described capitalism as having ownership, smaller government, wealth and financial success, and the idea that 'time is money.' Weber believed there was a correlation between religion and capitalism especially when it came to the type of asceticism people lived. 

There are two types of asceticism: inter-worldly an outer-worldly.  Inter-worldly is when the main goal is to succeed during their lifetime. The measure of success is based on how much you earn and succeed.  Outer-worldly is when you look at what happens after you die. People in this category live simplistic lives and are not focused on the materialized world.

Max Weber then compared how the types of asceticism fit religion. He used Protestantism and Catholicism as examples. While looking over data he came to the conclusion that Protestants tend to be associated more with inner-worldly asceticism. The Protestant religion focused more so on predestination and the 'calling.' While comparing to Protestantism, Weber found that Catholics tend to be more outer-worldly than protestants.

Weber took this data concerning Protestants and Catholics and compared it to countries that focus on each religion. If his theory was correct and there was a correlation between capitalism and religion, the Protestant countries should have a more capitalistic society due to the individualistic beliefs they carry. On the other hand, a prominently Catholic country would have a less capitalistic society. 

Data has shown that overall, this theory tends to be correct. Many heavily Protestant countries are more capitalistic than Catholic countries.