The Protestant Ethic: Time for a Moratorium

American sociologists continue to use the Protestant Ethic hypothesis as a theoretical framework in studying the presumed differences between Catholics and Protestants in this country. However, a review of recent studies indicates that this hypothesis is anything but fruitful. It is suggested that t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Greeley, Andrew 1928-2013 (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: 1964
In: Sociological analysis
Year: 1964, Volume: 25, Issue: 1, Pages: 20-33
Online Access: Volltext (JSTOR)
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Summary:American sociologists continue to use the Protestant Ethic hypothesis as a theoretical framework in studying the presumed differences between Catholics and Protestants in this country. However, a review of recent studies indicates that this hypothesis is anything but fruitful. It is suggested that the survival of the Protestant Ethic as a testable theory is due to a misunderstanding of Weber, an oversimplification of history, an ignorance of the pluralistic nature of Catholicism, and a refusal to be persuaded by empirical data. It is doubtful that sociological study of American religion will make much progress until a moratorium is proclaimed on further use of the current simplistic version of the Weberian theory.
ISSN:2325-7873
Contains:Enthalten in: Sociological analysis
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2307/3710540