The Contribution of ‘the Protestant Ethic’ as Attributed to Weber’s Theories of Rationalisation
The irresistible pull of rationalisation in the infant stages of modernity that coincided with the success of the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, were pre-eminent social and economic changes that undoubtedly presented the need for society to cultivate the values of calculation and control that were cornerstones of the ‘Protestant ethic’. The work ethic of Calvinism, as argued by Max Weber (1864-1920) , was integral in the transition to the coherent systemisation of labour by which it was asserted was one of few demonstrable acts of true devotion to prove with unequivocal certainty, a promise of salvation. This essay purports to examine the origins of the derivation of capitalist rationalisation and the condemnation of occupational superfluity as is …show more content…
Weber maintains that while the social construct of modern society has largely been dominated by bureaucracy, it is ultimately indispensable in its role in regulating the unavoidable complexities of modern life (Hyden et al, 2004). Best et al. (1997) channels a distinctly Weber-like tone upon which bureaucracy is criticised as undermining human nature and an actor in consciously eradicating human …show more content…
The mechanised teleological efficiency of rationalisation has come at the expense of an organic autonomous individuality (Smart, 1999) and the objectification of a rigid and rapidly dehumanised society (Weber,