Ascetic

Self-denying and austerely self-disciplining.

Rational

For Weber, this term implied systematization, consistency, logic, calculation and efficiency, applied both to religion and to social institutions.

Calvinism

The religious doctrines of John Calvin. Calvinism emphasized predestination, the supremacy of Scriptures in the revelation of truth, God's omnipotence and man's sinfulness.

Popular pages: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism