For more than 100 years, Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism has set the parameters for the debate over the origins of modern capitalism. Now more timely and thought provoking than ever, this esteemed classic of twentieth-century social science examines the deep cultural "frame of mind" that existed at the birth of modern capitalism and to this day influences attitudes toward work in northern America and Western Europe. In this volume, Stephen Kalberg revises his internationally acclaimed translation--using shorter sentences and more lucid language--to make the work even more accessible to students and other readers. Capturing the essence of Weber's style as well as the subtlety of his descriptions and causal arguments, this is the only translation of the revised 1920 edition of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism published since 1930. To draw readers into the material, this engaging volume includes extensive introductions by the editor, a chronology of Weber's life, a glossary, and numerous clarifying endnotes. Detailed commentaries discuss the controversies Weber addressed, explain his complex causal argument by reference to the general contours of his sociology, summarize the history of "the Protestant Ethic debate," and examine the significance of "the Protestant Sects" essays. Ideal for courses in sociology, anthropology, political science, history, international relations, economics, and cultural studies, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand the origins and endurance of the modern West.

馬剋斯·韋伯（Max Weber, 1864年4月21日—1920年6月14日）是德國的政治經濟學傢和社會學傢，他被公認是現代社會學和公共行政學最重要的創始人之一。韋伯最初在柏林大學開始教職生涯，並陸續於維也納大學、慕尼黑大學等大學任教。他對於當時德國的政界影響極大，曾前往凡爾賽會議代錶德國進行談判，並且參與瞭魏瑪共和國憲法的起草設計。

韋伯的主要著作圍繞於社會學的宗教和政治研究領域上，但他也對經濟學領域作齣極大的貢獻。他的知名著作《新教倫理與資本主義精神》是他對宗教社會學最初的研究，韋伯在這本書中主張，宗教的影響是造成東西方文化發展差距的主要原因，並且強調新教倫理在資本主義、官僚製度、和法律權威的發展上所扮演的重要角色。韋伯並將國傢定義為一個“擁有閤法使用暴力的壟斷地位”的實體，這個定義對於西方現代政治學的發展影響極大。他在各種學術上的重要貢獻通常被通稱為“韋伯命題”。