Veblen and Weber, on the Spirit of Capitalism

Bibliographic Data

ID4301262
AuthorsP A Saram
Year1992
Volume5
Issue2
Pages234-238
Publication date1992-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Historical Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0952-1909 • E-ISSN: 1467-6443
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-6443.1992.tb00163.x
OpenAlexW2047084368
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited17

Sociology has benefited from inquiries into the theoretical potential in the writings associated with individual 'authors', as well as from the examination of research 'topics' through the works of two or more writers. Of these complementary approaches, the latter provides the basis for this essay. The focus here is on the 'spirit' of modern capitalism from the standpoint of the formulations by Veblen and Weber. These writers provide alternative hypotheses on the decisive variable instrumental to the spirit of capitalism, namely, technology and religion respectively. In most other respects there is remarkable similarity in the two writings. The present analysis has enabled the comprehension of the spirit of capitalism in terms of four sequential phases. These are: early capitalism (capitalism as spirit); early-modern capitalism (capitalism as spirit and economic organization); late-modern capitalism (spiritless capitalism); and post-modernity (society in need of a spirit

Capitalism · Economics · Epistemology · Modernity · Neoclassical economics · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Veblen good · Emile Durkheim and Sociology · Religion and Society Interactions · Weber, Simmel, Sociological Theory · Law · Philosophy

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