Taking down Weber’s ‘ethic’ thesis

Weberʼs thesis on ʻthe spirit of capitalismʼ canʼt be espoused. It is not appropriate to read it between Benjamin Franklinʼ s writings. And it is unreasonable to read any germ of ʻthe spirit of capitalismʼ in Richard Baxterʼs ʻprotestant ethicsʼ. ʻThe spirit of capitalismʼ existed not before the establishment of capitalism, but after it. For the appreciation of the quality of the rise of capitalism, it is important to understand ʻascetic life ethicsʼ, which includes ʻthis worldly asceticismʼ, ʻascetic ethics of callingʼ and ʻdisciplined life of the workersʼ. ʻAscetic life ethicsʼ can be seen not only in the Western World but also in the East Asia. As market economy came to be formed in these areas, following the rapid development of industry and trade in early modern period, traditional communities of villages and cities began to collapse. Villagers and citizens were apt to float, losing community regulations and community protections. Propounded and taught by Protestant clerics, leaders of the business world and ʻIlluminantiʼ, ʻascetic life ethicsʼ presented firm bases of mind for the middle and lower classes. It did not promote the development of capitalism. But it supported the development, through forming mass of people who adapted to the changes.論説departmental bulletin pape