The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism — Quiz

What was the primary statistical source Weber used to document the Protestant-Catholic occupational gap in Germany?

Which of the following best describes what Weber meant by the 'spirit of capitalism'?

In Weber's argument, what function does methodical worldly conduct serve for the Calvinist believer?

The term 'elective affinity' (*Wahlverwandtschaft*) that Weber borrowed for his thesis was originally taken from which source?

What does Weber's 'iron cage' (*stahlhartes Gehäuse*) image describe?

How did R. H. Tawney's 1926 critique modify Weber's thesis?

What did Becker and Woessmann (2009) argue was the main mechanism behind Protestant economic advantage in nineteenth-century Prussia?

Which of the following correctly states the logical structure of Weber's elective-affinity claim?

Explain in your own words why Weber's thesis is described as a claim about 'partial causation' rather than a claim that 'Calvinism caused capitalism.' What evidence from the module supports this characterisation?

What is 'this-worldly asceticism' and how does it differ from the asceticism Weber associated with medieval Catholicism?

Why does Weber describe the capital accumulation produced by Puritan conduct as an 'unintended consequence,' and what broader sociological principle does this illustrate?

Critically assess Weber's Protestant ethic thesis. In your answer, explain the core argument (including the concepts of predestination, this-worldly asceticism, elective affinity, and the spirit of capitalism), evaluate at least two major lines of empirical or theoretical criticism, and discuss what — if anything — remains valuable in the thesis for contemporary sociology.