Max Weber's Capitalism and Iron Cage

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on Max Weber's theories regarding capitalism, religion, and social structures.

Max Weber

Founder of German academic sociology, known for critiquing Karl Marx's focus on the economy by including culture and religion.

The Spirit of Capitalism

Weber's idea that capitalism's rise was influenced by Protestant ethics, emphasizing hard work and capital accumulation.

Christian Asceticism

The belief that one serves God through hard work and the pursuit of profit, linked to Weber's theory on capitalism.

Eudaemonism

A system of ethics that bases moral value on the likelihood that good actions will produce happiness.

Hedonism

A school of thought arguing that pleasure is the primary intrinsic good.

Cotton Mather

Puritan minister who discussed the obligations of personal calling, emphasizing that Christians should work to glorify God and avoid idleness.

Protestantism

A branch of Christianity that influenced Weber's views on capitalism, emphasizing work as a virtue.

Conflict Theory

Marx's perspective that society is in conflict over resources such as the economy.

Functionalism

Durkheim's theory that society is structured by shared values and religious influences.

Incremental Change

The notion that social change occurs gradually rather than through radical shifts.