Capitalism Spirit and the Protestant Ethic Essay

Lots of people have claimed that the spirit of capitalism is another word for greed and sin. However, numerous sociologists and researchers reveal another facet of the concept. More so, they unveil the tie between the spirit of capitalism and the Protestant ethic. For instance, Max Weber points out that the two concepts are closely connected.

In the first place, it is important to consider these two ideas and their essence. The spirit of Capitalism is a specific set of principles and beliefs aimed at gaining profit and earning money. Notably, labor is one of the key principles and values within this concept. Hence, people are ready to work hard to get more money and become richer.

It is noteworthy that the spirit of capitalism is not necessarily connected with greed. Greed is the desire to accumulate and possessions are becoming the major aim, whereas, the spirit of capitalism entails gaining profit for further development. Admittedly, Franklin stressed that money had to work as keeping money is sheer idleness. Therefore, it is possible to note that greed is opposite to the spirit of capitalism as the latter motivates people to go the extra mile.

At the same time, the Protestant ethic is a set of principles which include the belief that labor is one of the greatest values and virtues. Thus, Protestants believe that any job is important and good for God. This means that people should be ready to work hard.

Clearly, the two concepts have one important principle in common. The Protestant ethic as well as the spirit of Capitalism is based on the necessity to work hard. Labor is a key value. The two concepts lie within the terrain of functionalist approach. It is based on the principle of a gradual change. There is no conflict as people try to cooperate for the overall good.

It is also important to note that there is another value shared by the two concepts. This is the idea of development. In the preindustrial world, people only started to understand and value this idea. Communities united by the religious ideas could easier accommodate to the new world which needed development. Thus, people knew they needed to work hard and improve the way they complete tasks to be able to contribute to the overall good. Of course, there was an element of desire to gain profit and become wealthier.

In conclusion, I would like to add that I agree with ideas articulated by Weber. I also think that new religious beliefs contributed to the development of the capitalist society. I think the society became ready to new values and people understood that they needed development. I do not think the spirit of capitalism is another word for greed. Nonetheless, I have also seen that some people become obsessed by the idea of gaining profits.

I believe the spirit of capitalism can take a form of greed among some people but the number of such people is limited. Of course, it is possible that Weber overestimated the influence of religion on the development of the capitalist society. It is more likely that religious beliefs transformed in accordance with the new reality and religion facilitated those changes. Thus, there were numerous factors that contributed to the development of capitalism and these factors intermingled and combined.

AIDS in Africa

AIDS in Africa is one of the most burning issues as millions of people are dying of this disease. Researchers believe there can be a demographic disaster in the region as the population in some African countries or even regions can drop by half. It is important to stress that the problem with the disease is not limited to absence of medication to treat it (though, it is also persistent). There is a bunch of social and cultural issues which contribute to the spread and devastating effects of AIDS in Africa.

In developed countries, people are able to obtain the necessary treatment as there is advanced technology and healthcare system. There is no cure but medication can help people live longer and more actively. However, most African countries are regarded as the countries of the third world as people live in poverty; there are wars and unrest and so on. People also have to live in really harsh conditions and famine is one of the major issues African governments have to address.

There is little time to develop cultural values and educate people. Importantly, Africans are infected through infected blood transfusions, multiple uses of syringes, unprotected sex. One of the major reasons of enormous death toll is that people do not know anything about the disease and the way to protect themselves. The government does not educate people.

However, it is clear that people have to be educated as this will considerably reduce the number of infected people. Of course, there will be numerous issues and lack of medication and tools but people will be more cautious. This can help the society, at least, start working on the solution. It has been acknowledged that even high-professional people (engineers and especially doctors) often get infected. In this way, the countries is losing lots of qualified people who could help them to develop and prosper.

According to the functionalist approach, if a member of the society is sick, this person is unable to perform specific roles and functions. This makes the society weaker. Therefore, functionalists believe that it is the responsibility of the society to enable each member of the society to be healthy and get appropriate treatment if necessary as this contributes greatly to the development of the entire region and continent.

Clearly, to create a strong society (which can protect its members) African countries have to solve numerous economic and social issues. It is necessary to make different social and ethnic groups cooperate. The government has to invest into development of technology. It is also important to create a strong middle class which could be the basis of the society. This can help the government to make health care affordable and accessible.

I believe that African leaders have to adopt functionalist approach and understand that they will be leaders of strong countries if they help different social groups cooperate and if they are responsible for the members of their society. Of course, the major focus of African governments is to stop wars and unrest and feed people. However, it is also important to educate people to resist one of the most devastating diseases in the region. It is crucial to implement effective cultural and social changes in the society. People should be more cautious and they should know about ways to avoid the disease.