Religion and Economics in Robinson Crusoe and Protestant Ethic and the

religion and Economics in Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe and gunk Webers Protestant ethical code and the Spirit of Capitalism One of the most recognized and potent theories in sociology appears in sludge Webers The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, which think the discipline of capitalism to well-disposed and cultural accompanimentors, primarily religious belief, instead of stinting factors alone. In his theory Weber concludes that the Protestant Ethic greatly influenced the development of capitalism in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. According to Gordon Marshall, Weber argues that the ii most important factors of Protestantism contributing to capitalism were diligence in mercenary callings or vocations and the notion of predestination (71). If indeed these religious factors did influence the full of capitalism, it would make perfect sense that other cultural elements, such as literature, would reflect both Protestant and capitalist ideology. This e ssay shows that in fact such Protestant notions as calling and predestination, which were present in the religion of the time, interact with capitalist ideas in Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, who was himself a devout Protestant that used his writings to influence both the religious and economic views of his readers (Earle 31). If Webers transmission line is tenable, then Robinson Crusoe may serve to represent in fiction the Protestant Ethic in early eighteenth century society and its evolution spirit of capitalism. An especially interesting question that arises from this analysis is how a social structure that is traditionally considered a-moral, unfair, and materialistic (i.e., economics) can be justified by a structure that is considered moral, just, and spiritual (i.e., rel... ...ork Scribners, 1954. Earle, Peter. The World of Defoe. London Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1976. Forell, George W. The Protestant Faith. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, 1960. Marshall, Gordon. In Se arch of the Spirit of Capitalism An Essay on Max Webers Protestant Ethic Thesis. New York Columbia UP, 1982. Pauck, Wilhelm. The Heritage of Reformation. New York Oxford UP, 1950. Reshef, Yonatan. Max Weber The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. n. pag. Online. Internet. 5 October 1999. Available http//courses.bus.ualberta.ca/orga417/weber.htm Tawney, R. H. Religion and the Rise of Capitalism A Historical Study. London Hazell, Watson, and Viney, 1926. Weber, Max. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Online. 10 October 1999. Available http//www.spc.uchicago.edu/ssrl/PRELIMS/Theory/weber.htmlweber2.