The ideas that respond to strong psychological needs of social groups are those that become historical forces. This is true of Calvinism and Lutheranism that gained momentum due to the social demands of the moment.
Luther was a person dominated by the authoritarian character. After a childhood of beatings and harsh impositions its relationship to the authority turned to ambivalent himself playing in an authoritarian patterns that had formed. On one hand he hated the authority and it is relieved against the other admired and tended to undergo. This was reflected in the fact that throughout his life he had an authority which he opposed and one that was the subject of admiration. Within the established centers of authority admired in God an ultimate source of power, as he describes "the power and where it thrives, its existence and permanence are due to God's orders.".The rage that overcame him meant that his hatred was directed against himself and against others. As a result of this much of their ideological constructs were designed to seek to harmonize these contradictions in a system that was apparently consistent. On the other hand, the theology of Luther succeeded in expressing the feelings of the middle class struggling against the authority of the Church, and showed a grudge against the new moneyed class. The system then Luther gave independence to man in religious matters, robbing the church of her authority to grant the individual.
Luther assumed the existence of an innate evil in human nature, this evil that men had turned their will to evil, and therefore the man would then be in need of divine grace. Thus only if the man humbled himself by destroying his will and individual pride may come upon him to receive God's grace. This concept of innate evil, along with the idea of the lack of freedom to choose what is right is one of the main lines of his theory.
The question that haunted all his life Luther was not rational, came from the isolation and helplessness of a person under the influence of hatred and fear generated in its infancy. This kind of irrational doubt is not resolved by rational responses, but usually resolve by making the individual becomes part of a larger force that has some sense. In the case of Luther's revelation happened in 1518 and the message was that salvation is through the faith given to man by God. Crossing this message action Luther freed the people of the authority of the Church forced him to undergo a more tyrannical authority, that of a God who demanded as a condition for salvation of man's complete submission together with the annihilation of his personality.
Along with its accession to the contempt authority is powerless masses in a way similar to how it came contempt for weakness in Naziism. When the masses rebel within the limits it has set, is with them. But when they attack the authorities that he approves arises against them a strong hatred and contempt. In this quote, from his book "Against the hordes of robberies and killings of the peasants" (1525), he reflects this: "Therefore, let those who can not, punish, kill and injure openly or secretly therefore we must remember that nothing can be more poisonous harmful or devilish than a rebel. "
Calvin's theology should acquire to Anglo-Saxon countries as important as that of Luther in Germany, consistently shows a similar spirit. The humiliation of himself and the destruction of all man's pride as a means to obtain the assurance of divine power are also in the major schemes of this thought. Calvin said in "Institutes of the Christian religion" (Book III, Chapter VIII): "We do not belong, therefore, neither our reason nor our will should predominate in our deliberations and actions. [...] Instead, we belong to God, and therefore live and die for Him "
He also agreed with Luther in denying that good works can lead to salvation and the central recipient of the message, the conservative middle class. Despite the doubts generated by the collapse of the traditional estates of the Middle Ages provided a new safety Calvin also by submission.
But in Calvin's doctrine of predestination becomes more strongly than that of Luther. Salvation or damnation is predestined by God so that this is something that is not for men. The Calvinists believed that men are created unequal and that they were elected, while the rest would fall into the condemnation, which clearly puts clearly a general hatred and contempt for humanity that also serves the same type of psychological assumptions Nazism. Luther also differed in most exalting the importance of moral effort. Consequently the virtues that man should acquire were: modesty and moderation, justice (to give each one what it is) and religion (to unite man with God). In later developments of Calvinism the exaltation of the virtuous life together with the unceasing effort to gain dominance lead to the idea that success in mortality resulting from these efforts is a sign of salvation.
The constant effort was for Luther to Calvin as one of the ways to avoid the anguish caused by the irrational doubt. The frenetic activity is a form of forgetting oneself and thus defuse this problem. The irrationality of this relentless effort shows that there is a goal, but serves to reveal whether someone has been predetermined in advance. This mechanism is also typical of obsessional neurotics, than when they are immersed in some kind of doubt can be devoted to counting any random element and attribute to result in any type of property. In developing these schemes were mainly human energies employed in this work and that capitalism served to obtain such material budgets for expansion.
The middle class had developed a deep hostility and resentment toward the new moneyed classes of the newly emerging capitalism, the result of luxury and power so that the latter could afford. The doctrines of Luther and Calvin this hostility channeled to output requests that the middle class could not articulate as clearly as the lower classes, if they hated the rich who exploited them. While hostility toward others is generally conscious, which is directed to oneself for streamlining mechanisms to come out of an available form. This happened with Calvinism and Lutheranism stressing that they did their own wickedness and insignificance. This strengthened the psychological basis necessary for the establishment of the foundations of what would be the capitalist society.
Note: The picture is a portrait of Luther by Lucas Cranach made in 1529
Luther was a person dominated by the authoritarian character. After a childhood of beatings and harsh impositions its relationship to the authority turned to ambivalent himself playing in an authoritarian patterns that had formed. On one hand he hated the authority and it is relieved against the other admired and tended to undergo. This was reflected in the fact that throughout his life he had an authority which he opposed and one that was the subject of admiration. Within the established centers of authority admired in God an ultimate source of power, as he describes "the power and where it thrives, its existence and permanence are due to God's orders.".The rage that overcame him meant that his hatred was directed against himself and against others. As a result of this much of their ideological constructs were designed to seek to harmonize these contradictions in a system that was apparently consistent. On the other hand, the theology of Luther succeeded in expressing the feelings of the middle class struggling against the authority of the Church, and showed a grudge against the new moneyed class. The system then Luther gave independence to man in religious matters, robbing the church of her authority to grant the individual.
Luther assumed the existence of an innate evil in human nature, this evil that men had turned their will to evil, and therefore the man would then be in need of divine grace. Thus only if the man humbled himself by destroying his will and individual pride may come upon him to receive God's grace. This concept of innate evil, along with the idea of the lack of freedom to choose what is right is one of the main lines of his theory.
The question that haunted all his life Luther was not rational, came from the isolation and helplessness of a person under the influence of hatred and fear generated in its infancy. This kind of irrational doubt is not resolved by rational responses, but usually resolve by making the individual becomes part of a larger force that has some sense. In the case of Luther's revelation happened in 1518 and the message was that salvation is through the faith given to man by God. Crossing this message action Luther freed the people of the authority of the Church forced him to undergo a more tyrannical authority, that of a God who demanded as a condition for salvation of man's complete submission together with the annihilation of his personality.
Along with its accession to the contempt authority is powerless masses in a way similar to how it came contempt for weakness in Naziism. When the masses rebel within the limits it has set, is with them. But when they attack the authorities that he approves arises against them a strong hatred and contempt. In this quote, from his book "Against the hordes of robberies and killings of the peasants" (1525), he reflects this: "Therefore, let those who can not, punish, kill and injure openly or secretly therefore we must remember that nothing can be more poisonous harmful or devilish than a rebel. "
Calvin's theology should acquire to Anglo-Saxon countries as important as that of Luther in Germany, consistently shows a similar spirit. The humiliation of himself and the destruction of all man's pride as a means to obtain the assurance of divine power are also in the major schemes of this thought. Calvin said in "Institutes of the Christian religion" (Book III, Chapter VIII): "We do not belong, therefore, neither our reason nor our will should predominate in our deliberations and actions. [...] Instead, we belong to God, and therefore live and die for Him "
He also agreed with Luther in denying that good works can lead to salvation and the central recipient of the message, the conservative middle class. Despite the doubts generated by the collapse of the traditional estates of the Middle Ages provided a new safety Calvin also by submission.
But in Calvin's doctrine of predestination becomes more strongly than that of Luther. Salvation or damnation is predestined by God so that this is something that is not for men. The Calvinists believed that men are created unequal and that they were elected, while the rest would fall into the condemnation, which clearly puts clearly a general hatred and contempt for humanity that also serves the same type of psychological assumptions Nazism. Luther also differed in most exalting the importance of moral effort. Consequently the virtues that man should acquire were: modesty and moderation, justice (to give each one what it is) and religion (to unite man with God). In later developments of Calvinism the exaltation of the virtuous life together with the unceasing effort to gain dominance lead to the idea that success in mortality resulting from these efforts is a sign of salvation.
The constant effort was for Luther to Calvin as one of the ways to avoid the anguish caused by the irrational doubt. The frenetic activity is a form of forgetting oneself and thus defuse this problem. The irrationality of this relentless effort shows that there is a goal, but serves to reveal whether someone has been predetermined in advance. This mechanism is also typical of obsessional neurotics, than when they are immersed in some kind of doubt can be devoted to counting any random element and attribute to result in any type of property. In developing these schemes were mainly human energies employed in this work and that capitalism served to obtain such material budgets for expansion.
The middle class had developed a deep hostility and resentment toward the new moneyed classes of the newly emerging capitalism, the result of luxury and power so that the latter could afford. The doctrines of Luther and Calvin this hostility channeled to output requests that the middle class could not articulate as clearly as the lower classes, if they hated the rich who exploited them. While hostility toward others is generally conscious, which is directed to oneself for streamlining mechanisms to come out of an available form. This happened with Calvinism and Lutheranism stressing that they did their own wickedness and insignificance. This strengthened the psychological basis necessary for the establishment of the foundations of what would be the capitalist society.
Note: The picture is a portrait of Luther by Lucas Cranach made in 1529
Understanding capitalism as a historical process that involves understanding the social, or what is the same type of adaptation of man to life by the guidelines given society, is neither the only nor the best. It is society that makes the individuals for their own purposes in promoting the facets that they are more convenient without being required to meet the individual development of its members. Once it becomes clear that employers who provide the capital are not the only nor the most desirable is the open road to reach the true goals of the individual and collective lives of human beings. Erich Fromm provides a guide to understanding how this process has been formed.
Regarding our society a fundamental characteristic of medieval society is the lack of freedom. A man had little chance of changing social class or go to another place that was not the birth. Nor have I used the opportunity to wear what they want or eat what he pleased. But even if the person was not free in the modern sense, was not alone or isolated. By having limited possibilities of changing his life was within a routine that context. The blacksmith, the gentleman, the farmer, ... all remained linked to the role that society had commissioned. Thus ended the social order is conceived as the natural order. Although many or immense sufferings were the Church was there to give an explanation and forward them bearable. The original sin was the scapegoat of existing evils so that the Church encouraged the guilt while seeking possibilities for overcoming them.
In the final part of the Middle Ages the unity and centralization of medieval society had weakened. The capital gained prominence through individual economic initiative and competition which created a new moneyed class. Individualism is then extended to other fields of human activity: fashion, art, philosophy, theology, ... For the moneyed classes this was not perceived differently than for the small group of wealthy capitalists because for the first this process was a threat to their traditional way of life.
In Italy this process was more intense and had a greater impact on philosophy, art and lifestyle, to the extent that the Italian Renaissance Burckhardt became the firstborn among the children of modern Europe. The origins of this process are in various economic and political factors that have joined the privileged geographical position of Italy, which gave unique geographical advantages in a time of strong business expansion across the Mediterranean. For these reasons and others arose in Italy a powerful wealthy class whose members were dominated by a spirit of initiative, power and ambition. Then the birth and origin became less important than wealth.
As a result of this gradual destruction of medieval society was emerging, the individual in the modern sense. The masses who had no wealth and power of the former ruling group have lost their safety and ended up becoming a group report. Meanwhile the wealthy got a feeling of strength and, simultaneously, an isolation, a growing doubt and skepticism. And it was this insecurity, as pointed out by Burckhardt, a basic feature of the rebirth of the individual as reflected in the desire for fame, which silenced while doubts served to alleviate the need to achieve immortality and so that life itself acquires meaning when reflected in the opinion of others.
The socioeconomic organization of medieval society was relatively static. Although he had to fight hard for a living, in general, one could expect to live the fruits of labor. Within this system the fundamental economic assumptions were that economic interests are subordinate to the problem of life, which was the salvation and that economic behavior was an aspect of personal behavior, subject, like the others, rules morality. R. Tawney told in "Religion and the Rise of Capitalism" how it was lawful for a man to seek the wealth necessary to maintain the living standards of their own social position. Search more was not considered to be an entrepreneur but greedy, and greed was a mortal sin. Private property was a necessary institution, at least in a world fallen into sin, but must be tolerated only as a concession to human weakness, should never be exalted as a good in itself.
While the market situation in the Middle Ages was static, so that there was a supply and demand direct and specific at the moment the market situation was broader and could no longer be fixed for the supply and demand were related. It was no longer sufficient to produce useful commodities as the market laws decided whether the products could be sold and to what benefit. The new market mechanism was similar to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, according to which the individual must make every effort to be good, but their salvation or damnation was determined from birth. The market day became the day of reckoning for the products of human effort. To this point the critical elements of modern capitalism along with its psychological effects on the individual had already emerged. The economy of the feudal system was based on the principle of cooperation, individualism now gathered strength and medieval principles were gradually relegated. The man had lost a stable system and its relations with other men became hostile in all possible rivals to be among them.
By the late Middle Ages began to develop the concept of time in the modern sense and the minutes began to have value. A symptom of this is that at Nuremberg the bells began to play the quarter-hour from the S. XVI. Time began to have such value that people realized that he could not lose. The preacher Martin Butzer wrote then: "Everyone is running after those issues and most profitable occupations. The study of the arts and sciences is discarded in favor of the more ignoble forms of manual labor."
Regarding our society a fundamental characteristic of medieval society is the lack of freedom. A man had little chance of changing social class or go to another place that was not the birth. Nor have I used the opportunity to wear what they want or eat what he pleased. But even if the person was not free in the modern sense, was not alone or isolated. By having limited possibilities of changing his life was within a routine that context. The blacksmith, the gentleman, the farmer, ... all remained linked to the role that society had commissioned. Thus ended the social order is conceived as the natural order. Although many or immense sufferings were the Church was there to give an explanation and forward them bearable. The original sin was the scapegoat of existing evils so that the Church encouraged the guilt while seeking possibilities for overcoming them.
In the final part of the Middle Ages the unity and centralization of medieval society had weakened. The capital gained prominence through individual economic initiative and competition which created a new moneyed class. Individualism is then extended to other fields of human activity: fashion, art, philosophy, theology, ... For the moneyed classes this was not perceived differently than for the small group of wealthy capitalists because for the first this process was a threat to their traditional way of life.
In Italy this process was more intense and had a greater impact on philosophy, art and lifestyle, to the extent that the Italian Renaissance Burckhardt became the firstborn among the children of modern Europe. The origins of this process are in various economic and political factors that have joined the privileged geographical position of Italy, which gave unique geographical advantages in a time of strong business expansion across the Mediterranean. For these reasons and others arose in Italy a powerful wealthy class whose members were dominated by a spirit of initiative, power and ambition. Then the birth and origin became less important than wealth.
As a result of this gradual destruction of medieval society was emerging, the individual in the modern sense. The masses who had no wealth and power of the former ruling group have lost their safety and ended up becoming a group report. Meanwhile the wealthy got a feeling of strength and, simultaneously, an isolation, a growing doubt and skepticism. And it was this insecurity, as pointed out by Burckhardt, a basic feature of the rebirth of the individual as reflected in the desire for fame, which silenced while doubts served to alleviate the need to achieve immortality and so that life itself acquires meaning when reflected in the opinion of others.
The socioeconomic organization of medieval society was relatively static. Although he had to fight hard for a living, in general, one could expect to live the fruits of labor. Within this system the fundamental economic assumptions were that economic interests are subordinate to the problem of life, which was the salvation and that economic behavior was an aspect of personal behavior, subject, like the others, rules morality. R. Tawney told in "Religion and the Rise of Capitalism" how it was lawful for a man to seek the wealth necessary to maintain the living standards of their own social position. Search more was not considered to be an entrepreneur but greedy, and greed was a mortal sin. Private property was a necessary institution, at least in a world fallen into sin, but must be tolerated only as a concession to human weakness, should never be exalted as a good in itself.
While the market situation in the Middle Ages was static, so that there was a supply and demand direct and specific at the moment the market situation was broader and could no longer be fixed for the supply and demand were related. It was no longer sufficient to produce useful commodities as the market laws decided whether the products could be sold and to what benefit. The new market mechanism was similar to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, according to which the individual must make every effort to be good, but their salvation or damnation was determined from birth. The market day became the day of reckoning for the products of human effort. To this point the critical elements of modern capitalism along with its psychological effects on the individual had already emerged. The economy of the feudal system was based on the principle of cooperation, individualism now gathered strength and medieval principles were gradually relegated. The man had lost a stable system and its relations with other men became hostile in all possible rivals to be among them.
By the late Middle Ages began to develop the concept of time in the modern sense and the minutes began to have value. A symptom of this is that at Nuremberg the bells began to play the quarter-hour from the S. XVI. Time began to have such value that people realized that he could not lose. The preacher Martin Butzer wrote then: "Everyone is running after those issues and most profitable occupations. The study of the arts and sciences is discarded in favor of the more ignoble forms of manual labor."
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