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The Protestant Ethic and Rockefeller Benevolence: The Religious Impulse in American Philanthropy
Author(s) -
Hewa Soma
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal for the theory of social behaviour
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.615
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1468-5914
pISSN - 0021-8308
DOI - 10.1111/1468-5914.00050
Subject(s) - protestant work ethic , rationalization (economics) , protestantism , capitalism , hegemony , power (physics) , sociology , impulse (physics) , environmental ethics , political science , law , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , politics
This paper is an application of Max Weber’s thesis about the “elective affinity” between Protestant religious impulses and the rise of capitalism, and rationalization of benevolence. Exploring the history of organized philanthropy in the United States, using the life and work of John D. Rockefeller, the paper presents the power of the religious motive in Rockefeller’s commitment to philanthropy, especially towards support for scientific university based research in medicine. Presenting historical evidence, the paper argues against those who see U.S. philanthropists as giving out of guilt or for selfish motivation, and those who critique philanthropic foundations as producers and reproducers of cultural hegemony