Calvinism, Childhood, and Education: The Evidence from the Genevan Consistory

Watt, Jeffrey R.

doi:10.2307/4143916

Cited by 66 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The above generates a social-spatial discrepancy, a geographical distance, between Weber's assumed religious basis in one society, Calvin's France and Francophone Geneva (Dromi, 2016;Garrard, 2003;Mansbach, 2006;Ramsey, 1999;Rosenblatt, 1997;Valeri, 1997;Watt, 2002) and its capitalist product in another, industrial England, as also Sombart 34 implies. To indicate how striking this discrepancy is, one can hardly find as divergent, as Hume suggests in his historical account, major neighbouring European societies in religious-cultural, economic, and political-military terms, as France and England, implicated in various wars during the genesis and spread of both Calvinism and capitalism, the time of the Calvinist-capitalist causal chain.…”

Section: From 16th Century Protestantism To 19th Century Capitalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Calvin sternly admonishes, 13 this doctrine is intertwined -thus fully understandable-in relation to the dogma of the absolute transcendence, omnipotence, and glory of what Weber calls the God of Calvinism (Parsons, 1938;Vaisey, 2009;Zaret, 1992). It is also inextricably linked with the inverse of this dogma, Calvin's conception of innate and utter human depravity, corruption, wickedness, and evil due to original sin (Heller, 1986;Howe, 1972;MacKinnon, 1994;Zaret, 1992;Watt, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A neglected gap in the Weber thesis? The long economic lag of capitalism from Protestantism

Zafirovski

2019

Social Science Information

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article identifies and explains a certain previously undetected or downplayed analytical problem in Max Weber's thesis arising from a causal link between Protestantism, above all Calvinism, and the emergence and expansion of modern capitalism as an economic 'spirit' and system. There is a manifest time gap or historical distance between original Calvinism and modern capitalism spanning several centuries. More specifically, there is an 'economic lag' of modern capitalism, defined by the Weber thesis as emerging and expanding mostly during the late 18th and 19th centuries, orthodox Calvinism and generally the Protestant Reformation arising and spreading in the 16th century. This article investigates whether such a capitalist lag behind its assumed religious source is exceedingly protracted to posit an effective causal relationship, a plausible congruence and an affinity between Calvinism and modern capitalism as the Weber thesis does. This article identifies two different religious-economic configurations: first, the rise and diffusion of Calvinism and the absence of capitalism, second, the emergence and expansion of modern capitalism and the decline of Calvinism. I infer that the salient economic lag of modern capitalism from Calvinism casts serious doubt on their direct causal link and thus on the Weber thesis, giving the fact that the assumption of lagged effects of the second on the first variable does not provide an adequate solution. This article aims to contribute toward a further clarification and examination of the Weber thesis and generally of the relationship between religious values and modern economy and society.

show abstract

Section: From 16th Century Protestantism To 19th Century Capitalismmentioning

confidence: 99%