Summary

Fischer's central strategy is to dispute what he sees as Weber's ‘idealist interpretation of history’. He considers some alternative material and economic factors for the spread of capitalism in early modern Europe, and concludes with what he claims is a more plausible ‘psychological’ explanation for the rise of capitalist mentalities. In general, his position is that while the correlation between confessional affiliation and capitalist development may be in some countries remarkable, it does not permit us actually to ‘derive’ (ableiten) the spirit of capitalism from Puritanism.

Fischer begins by arguing that in his translation of the relevant passages in the Bible, Luther could not have thought of using the German word Beruf, with the sense of ‘worldly calling’, unless this sense of the word already existed for ordinary people. The religious sense of duty in one's worldly vocation cannot have been entirely Luther's innovation; it must have already been familiar to the people:

Fischer therefore suggests that the religious aspect of worldly callings could equally well be explained in terms of adaptation to already existent economic circumstances. He considers why the ‘signs of election’ so central to Puritanism should have been sought precisely in work in a calling, rather than in any other activity or state of being. For the Puritans to think in terms of relationships of debt to God, key economic institutions must have already been in place.