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Beyond Belief

Religion & Ethics

Series exploring the place and nature of faith in today's world

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Beyond Belief: Protestant Work Ethic

16/01/2012

Protestant Work Ethic

BBC Radio 4 - Beyond Belief, Protestant Work Ethic

Ernie Rea discusses the impact of religious belief and practice on today's society.

Ernie Rea and his guests discuss the origin of the Protestant Work Ethic and its relationship to today's crisis in capitalism and the global financial markets.

Today's crisis in the global financial markets has produced much soul searching about the culture of greed which seems to permeate our society. At the beginning of the last century the German sociologist, Max Weber, proposed that there was a direct link between the Protestant Reformation and the rise in capitalism. And specifically, that hard work, combined with a moral attitude towards wealth, was directly linked to salvation. So is the loss of religious faith across the West linked to the current crisis in capitalism?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the Protestant Work Ethic are Lord Andrew Mawson, social entrepreneur, cross bench peer & minister in the United Reformed Church; Professor Sam Whimster, Fellow in the Centre for Advanced Study at the University of Bonn, and Jonathan Wittenberg, Rabbi of New North London Synagogue.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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