Max Weber's "The Prostestant Ethic: Spirit of Capitalism"

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1. The most important advice Ben Franklin had was, "Remember that time is money" (quoted in Weber, p.14). Franklin's advice is to the young tradesman regarding the importance of time and money based on the spirit of capitalism. Weber also mentions how Franklin discusses the importance of honesty because it leads to the availability of credit (Weber, p.16). Also, punctuality, frugality and industry are useful and therefore are virtues (Weber, p.16).

2. Ben Franklin's writings illustrate the spirit of capitalism through his words mentioned in Weber's Protestant Ethic. It is illustrated through his advice on work and money and how the young tradesman could earn a certain amount of money in a day by his labor and sits back for the second half of the day when he really could be doubling that amount of money. He actually loses the portion of money that could have been made from the labor lost from sitting around (Weber, p.14).

Basically, in Franklin's view, the spirit of capitalism is to work in order to gain profit. If one does not work, then one does not gain the profit that you could possibly have. Also a particular ethic of duty is brought up where this is violated not just out of foolishness but also as a forgetfulness of duty (Weber, p. 16).

3. Modern capitalism, as Weber explained, is how a person consumes less and equally wants more, and in doing this saves more to gain more, rises to the top of the economy; rather than those who acquire and spend as it is earned (Weber, p.29). One example Weber uses is the man that moves out of the city into the countryside where he 'transformed' peasant into workers. He began to increase markets and took retailing into his own hands figuring...