Protestant ethic is a set of attitudes that stress the moral value of work, self-discipline, and personal responsibility. These principles developed from the Protestant belief that people do not live and work for themselves alone. People’s work–or their calling, as it is sometimes termed–comes from God. People prove their worth to themselves, to their society, and to God by overcoming hardship through dedicated achievement, self-control, and moral living.
The Protestant ethic encourages people to work because of the belief that work is good. The ethic emphasizes self-denial to promote thrift, and it discourages spending large amounts of money for luxuries or personal pleasures. It also holds that unnecessary comforts distract people from their duty to God. The ethic does not view wealth as evil in itself. Wealth becomes evil only when it tempts people to idleness and sinfulness.
Personal responsibility ranks as one of the most important ideals of the Protestant ethic. For example, dedication, foresight, and thoughtfulness help a person succeed. The ability to resist temptation keeps a person from wasting energy, savings, and time. According to the ethic, a person is good if he or she is hard-working, honest, and thrifty. Such a person is more virtuous than one who is lazy, pleasure-seeking, and wasteful.
The concept of the Protestant ethic is closely associated with Max Weber, a German sociologist. In 1904 and 1905, Weber wrote a famous essay called “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.” He maintained in this essay that the principles of the Protestant ethic contributed to the development of the economic system called capitalism. In capitalism, individuals and corporations control and direct the means of production. The hard work, investments, and savings of individuals help build a capitalist economy.
