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Sun 28 May, 2006 06:48 am
It's the Ethos, Stupid
"Labour must, on the contrary, be performed as if it were an absolute end in itself, a calling. But such an attitude is by no means a product if nature. It cannot be evoked by low wages or high ones alone, but can only be the product of a long and arduous process of education." Max Weber "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism".
It is this ethos (the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution) that must be created and nurtured by the Matador so that the bull follows the cape rather than the Matador with its horns. Ideology is another word for ethos.
Isn't this just another way of saying that the so-called work ethic is a cultural construct, rather than an innate drive? And if it is (or if it is not), what's your point? (Or Weber's point, for that matter. The quote is out of context.)
Merry Andrew wrote:Isn't this just another way of saying that the so-called work ethic is a cultural construct, rather than an innate drive? And if it is (or if it is not), what's your point? (Or Weber's point, for that matter. The quote is out of context.)
No, I don't think so.
Max says "Labour must, on the contrary, be performed as if it were an absolute end in itself, a calling."
This is the ethos necessary for capitalism to flourish. It is an unnatural ethos. Capitalism must convince the citizen that it is a natural ethos. In the US capitalism has convinced that such an ethos is natural. How do they do it? They do it in the same way that the Matador fools the bull.
The point I try to make is one that will cause the citizen to awaken and try to understand reality and thereby they can change it into a more desirable ethos. Understanding is the first step toward change.
coberst wrote:Max says "Labour must, on the contrary, be performed as if it were an absolute end in itself, a calling."
This is the ethos necessary for capitalism to flourish.
What, in your opinion, would be a better way to think about labor? Is it preferable to replace the idea of labor-as-an-end-in-itself with labor-as-a-means-toward-another-end? Or, to put it another way:
Quote:Understanding is the first step toward change.
What's the second step?
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