Образци и контраобразци. Относно концептуализирането на културното значение на религията при Еберхарт Готхайн, Вернер Зомбарт, Георг Зимел
Protagonists and Antagonists. The Relation Between Religion and Modern World in the Works of Eberhard Gothein, Werner Sombart, Georg Simmel

Summary/Abstract: The article reconstructs the Weber-Troeltsch-thesis of the influential role of ascetic protestantism for the rise of modern capitalism in the context of the contemporary discussion on the relation of religion and modern culture. It distinguishes three stages of this discourse. The beginning is the discovery of the genealogical correlation between protestantism and capitalism in the writings of the economists Eberhard Gothein (esp. Wirtschaftsgeschichte des Schwarzwalds, 1892) and Werner Sombart (Der moderne Kapitalismus, 1902). The next step is the refinement of this correlation caused by the insight in the religious shaping of the individual as it is discussed in a broader cultural perspective by philosopher Georg Simmel (esp. Die Philosophie des Geldes, 1900) and jurist Georg Jellinek (Die Erklдrung der Menschen- und Bьrgerrechte, 1895). Eventually Max Weber (Die protestantische Ethik und der “Geist” des Kapitalismus, 1904/05) and Ernst Troeltsch (esp. Die Bedeutung des Protestantismus fьr die Entstehung der modernen Welt, 1906) accomplish this approach with their central idea of the importance of the religious denomination for the conduct of life (“Lebensfьhrung”). As it is shown the Weber-Troeltsch-thesis results from the ingenious competence of the Heidelberg scholars to extract the different elements of their thesis from the widespread debate and very different scientific interests, adding their own ideas and analyses on theology and history of religion.

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