The Protestant Ethic — a moral code stressing hard work, rigorous self-discipline, and the organization of one's life in the service of God — was made famous by sociologist and political economist Max Weber. In this brilliant study, he opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and its view that change takes place through the 'struggle of opposites.' Instead, he relates the rise of a capitalist economy to the Puritan determination to work out anxiety over salvation or damnation by performing good deeds — an effort that ultimately discouraged belief in predestination and encouraged capitalism.

Weber's classic study has long been required reading in college and advanced high school social studies classrooms. It explores the continuing debate regarding the origins and legacy of modern capitalism in the West, helps the reader understand today's global economic development, and delves into the deep cultural forces that affect contemporary work life and the workplace in the United States and Europe.