Philosophy 3330 interpretive essay final Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophy 3330 interpretive final - Essay Example rgument — often called the cogito argument in reference to Descartes’ most-quoted catchphrase the Latin cogito; ergo sum, or â€Å"I think; therefore I am† — to explain the rise of capitalism in Protestant society is perhaps one of the more interesting takes on Cartesian theory. Weber argues that instead of using Descartes’ notion of self simply as a philosophical proof of individual being, Protestants transformed the concept into â€Å"an ethical reinterpretation† (Weber 80), using it as the basis for a life of contemplation: In other words, Weber argues that Protestants seized on the idea of self-knowledge as a sort of manifesto, not a proof existence but a responsibility of existence. So far, so good, but where does the connection to capitalism come in? How does it relate to the notion of an inner life? What does it have to do with the notion of intellectual responsibility? â€Å"The name of Weber makes it clear that we cannot begin to sense the real ideological function of religious aestheticism unless we place it within that larger intellectual and ideological preoccupation which is the study and interrogation of value,† wrote Frederic Jameson (124). Or, more simply put, the religious contemplation of the Protestants was both a factor in and a result of their historio-economic status. For Weber, this status follows a predictable trajectory, journeying from the traditional to the rational with a brief, joyous moment of transformation Weber calls â€Å"charisma.† (Weber 96) The Protestant Reformation is an example of a charismatic period in the evolution of Western society, a time in which society was moving from traditional values and ethics toward restructured, rationalized ethics. And economic success was an important part of these metamorphosing ethics. Part of this emerges from what Weber sees as the Protestant notion of â€Å"craft ,† or pride in workmanship. The idea of a â€Å"calling† for a career path was no longer restricted to men and women of