Calvinism is the body of doctrines that John Calvin developed during the Protestant Reformation, the most notable of which is the doctrine of predestination.
Calvinism Quotes in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
The The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism quotes below are all either spoken by Calvinism or refer to Calvinism. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 2, Section 1
Quotes
This doctrine [of predestination], with all the pathos of its inhumanity, had one principal consequence for the mood of a generation which yielded to its magnificent logic: it engendered, for each individual, a feeling of tremendous inner loneliness.
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Tireless labor in a calling was urged as the best possible means of attaining this self-assurance. This and this alone would drive away religious doubt and give assurance of one’s state of grace.
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The consequence of this systematization of the ethical conduct of life, which was enforced by Calvinism (unlike Lutheranism), is the permeation of the whole of existence by Christianity.
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Lutheranism, as a result of its doctrine of grace, simply failed to provide the psychological drive to be systematic in the conduct of life, and thus to enforce the rationalization of life.
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Part 2, Section 2
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It might truly be said of the “last men” in this [capitalist] cultural development: “specialists without spirit, hedonists without a heart, these nonentities imagine they have attained a stage of humankind never before reached.”
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Calvinism Term Timeline in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
The timeline below shows where the term Calvinism appears in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Section 1: Denomination and Social Stratification
...cities, meaning that Protestants may have started with higher net capital. However, Protestantism and especially Calvinism exert a more authoritarian control over daily life than Catholicism did, so it seems counterintuitive...
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...Protestants were always “acquisitive,” Protestants were far from hedonistic or pleasure-seeking in Puritan movements and Calvinist churches.
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Weber observes that many of the most pious groups, especially the Calvinists, mixed their piety with a sharp business sense. The spread of Calvinists under religious persecution...
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Part 1, Section 3: Luther’s Conception of the Calling
...built upon the concept of calling in ways that directly benefit “capitalist development.” Of these, Calvinism made the greatest impact, taking many of Luther’s ideas to their logical extremes.
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Weber states that both Lutheranism and Catholicism ardently oppose Calvinism, in part because it created an entirely new relationship “between religious life and earthly action.”...
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Part 2, Section 1: The Religious Foundations of Innerworldly Asceticism
Weber states that there are four primary sources of Protestant asceticism: Calvinism, Pietism, Methodism, and the Baptist sects. These denominations all link together in various ways and...
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Weber states that the primary point of Calvinist doctrine, the single issue that made several governments see the denomination as a national threat,...
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The writer, Milton, claimed he’d rather go to hell than submit to Calvinism’s ideal of God. However, Weber claims that he is not aiming to make value judgments,...
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...inhumanity,” darkened the mood of all who ascribed to it, leaving them incredibly lonely. Under Calvinism’s logic, each person cannot look to their friends, family, or church to aid them in...
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With their inner isolation and belief that life only exists to glorify God, the Calvinists took Luther’s loose concept of calling and made it a “characteristic part of their ethical...
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Because of their insecurity about their own “state of grace,” Weber argues that Calvinists were always looking for “distinguishing features” of the elect, ways to prove to themselves that...
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While the Lutherans believe that one can emotionally feel God’s presence in their souls, Calvinists distrust such appeals to emotion. The consequence of this distrust is that Calvinists must constantly...
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Weber argues that practically, this doctrine makes Calvinism one of the most productive religions to ever exist in terms of “moral action.” Whereas...
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Calvinism, however, turns the Catholic’s monastic asceticism into “innerworldly [earthly; everyday life]” asceticism, following Luther’s push...
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Particularly through Calvinism, Reformed Protestants systematized Christian asceticism to such a degree that they kept careful record of...
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...tradition of Pietism is usually based on the doctrine of predestination and thus closely resembles Calvinism. Where they differ, however, is in the scope of their ascetic practice. The Pietists remove...
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...it produces an even more serious and methodical person. Pietists of this nature go beyond Calvinism and divide the elect into “active” and “passive” Christians, arguing that one may be “elect”...
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...labor in a calling from a utilitarian viewpoint, spurning the “philosophical speculation” of Luther and Calvin. However, in total, Weber views the Pietist movement as a weaker form of Calvinism, at...
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...that Methodism was established as the Anglo-American parallel to German Pietism. Like Pietism, breaking from Calvinism, Methodism places increasing emphasis on emotion, arguing that salvation should not be met with austere...
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...rests on weaker ethical foundations that allow for a less methodical and rational existence than Calvinism. Because of this, he does not believe Methodism made any significant contribution to the evolution...
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...of God, since their personal revelations are now valid as well. However, the Baptists share Calvinism’s conviction that natural man is wholly beneath God, and also that a life of perfect...
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...interested in the effects of church discipline and religious rule. Though both were severe under Calvinism, Weber will focus on the development of individual motivation towards capitalist gains.
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Part 2, Section 2: Asceticism and the Capitalist Spirit
...“single phenomenon” to simplify his examination. Weber states that English Puritanism, which developed out of Calvinism, provides the best archetype to study new asceticism. English Puritanism is epitomized in the writing...
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Unlike Calvin, who saw wealth as beneficial because it increased the Christian’s influence in society, Baxter maintained...
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