"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" is one of Max Weber's masterpieces. Why did capitalism, which has been the dominant force in the world since modern times, emerge from Western civilization alone? From the perspective of cultural and religious constraints on social and economic development, Weber proposed that modern capitalism is characterized by its rationalized continuous management and organized labor, and the core elements of the capitalist spirit, namely the idea of "vocation" and the work ethic of dedicating oneself to professional labor, have a natural inherent affinity with the ascetic character of Protestant Christianity. Protestantism, especially Calvinism, regards work as a vocation and the outlook on life of systematically and rationally pursuing legitimate gains is the most suitable spiritual motivation for the development of capitalism.
The Protestant outlook on life promoted a rational life tendency based on professional concepts, which has now become a common lifestyle for modern citizens. Although the ascetic spirit contributed to the birth of the modern economic order, after capitalism established an order that determined everything, it established its foundation on mechanical civilization, and the Protestant ascetic spirit disintegrated into pure utilitarianism. Capitalism, which has lost its religious and ethical connotations, has eventually become "a soulless expert and a heartless hedonist. This empty person actually boasts that he has reached a state that has never been reached by mankind."
