Explain how the Calvinist doctrine of predestination contributes to the treadmill of production.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Calvinist notion of predestination made more work and tangible
goods a way to achieve godliness, while leisure became a sin to refute. In order to
convince themselves and the community that they were among the elect, early
Calvinists became ascetics, denying themselves bodily pleasures like laziness and
working incredibly hard to achieve the signs of success in this life. And they began
to rationalize the work process, making work more orderly and efficient, in order
to maximize their worldly signs of moral worth. Basically, said Weber, early
Calvinism was a competitive cult of work, denial, and rationalization. This relates
closely to the treadmill of production, where to continue to remain on top, one
must continually produce more and more while pushing other people aside.
Calvinism demands the same by allowing some to be perceived as the 'elect' with
their worldly achievements, and promoting a notion of competitiveness that
pushes others aside. It is a religious embodiment of the treadmill of production.