We’ve been discussing various things about John Calvin and Max Weber in a church history class and today a classmate questioned whether or not the Protestant work ethic is linked solely to capitalism. He suggested that it would highly compatible with socialism.
My knee-jerk and very vocal reaction was NO WAY!! My classmates pointed out that there is a difference between socialism and a socialist. I guess I would agree with that, but I just don’t agree with looking at things in theory and saying that they work without ever applying them to real life.
There are facets of socialism like health-care and education that could perhaps fit the mold, but overall, I see no connection between the obsessive habits of a Protestant work ethic and the nonexistent work ethic that seeps into many socialist societies.
I don’t know. I know that socialism and communism aren’t synonymous. But sill. Hmm…
What do you think? I know my thoughts above are kind of rambling, but if you can decipher them, I’d love your opinion.
**p.s. I’ve edited this just a tiny bit as there was at least one paragraph that I couldn’t even understand when I reread it this morning. Sometimes I smoke crack when I write and sometimes I just plain can’t spell, so it makes for some interesting stuff.
It is slightly more comprehensible this time around. 🙂 I don’t know if I really have an opinion.
There are predominately Protestant countries that have socialist health care systems, but their economies are still capitalistic.
Anyway, honestly, I still don’t quite get what the question is. 🙂
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