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NOTE: This paper integrates material and ideological conditions. Be sure to balance the two in your paper. Avoid the mistake of placing more emphasis on material conditions simply because they involve three authors. It may help to think of the paper as 40% on ideological conditions. 1.)Material Conditions Polanyi refers to the emergence of market society as “the great transformation” (Polanyi, Kit #16). Discuss what characterizes market society and show why this transformation is so significant. Include a few points about how market society differs from the structures of previous social organizations in order to stress the importance of this development (Heilbroner, Kit #15 and Polanyi, Kit#16). Also, present some of the changes that take place in the workplace (Rinehart, Kit #17). 2.) Ideological Conditions Describe the worldview of people in market society according to Weber. Discuss this in terms of the connection between the “Protestant work ethic” and the “spirit of capitalism” (Weber summarized by Bendix, Kit #18). Explain the importance of these ideological conditions for the emergence of market society. Conclude by summarizing why the shift to market society is a fundamental transformation. Include both material and ideological conditions in this conclusion
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Market society, as characterized by Polanyi in “The Great Transformation,” is a society in which economic exchange is dominated by the market mechanism. This is in contrast to previous social organizations, where economic exchange was embedded in social relationships and not governed by the laws of supply and demand. The emergence of market society is significant because it led to the commodification of land, labor, and money, and the displacement of traditional social structures by market relations.
In the workplace, market society brought about changes such as the rise of wage labor and the separation of the worker from the means of production. These changes led to the alienation of the worker from their work and a loss of control over the production process.
The worldview of people in market society, according to Weber, is characterized by the “Protestant work ethic” and the “spirit of capitalism.” The Protestant work ethic, a strong work ethic and the belief in the moral value of hard work, and the “spirit of capitalism”, the belief in the moral value of economic success, were both key in the emergence of market society. The importance of these ideological conditions lies in the fact that they provided the moral justification for the economic changes brought about by market society.
The shift to market society is a fundamental transformation that brought about significant changes in both material and ideological conditions. The rise of market relations led to the commodification of land, labor, and money, and the displacement of traditional social structures. The Protestant work ethic and the “spirit of capitalism” provided the moral justification for these changes, and contributed to the emergence of market society. The integration of material and ideological conditions is crucial in understanding the significance of this transformation.
