Editing Max Weber (section)

====''The Religion of India''====
{{Main|The Religion of India}}

In ''The Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism'', Weber dealt with the structure of Indian society, with the [[Orthodoxy|orthodox]] doctrines of [[Hinduism]] and the [[Heterodoxy|heterodox]] doctrines of [[Buddhism]], with modifications brought by the influence of popular religiosity and finally with the impact of religious beliefs on the secular ethic of Indian society.{{sfnm|1a1=Bendix|1a2=Roth|1y=1977|1pp=142–158|2a1=Schluchter|2y=2018|2pp=98–99}} In Weber's view, Hinduism in India, like Confucianism in China, was a barrier for capitalism.{{sfnm|1a1=Ritzer|1y=2009|1pp=37–38|2a1=Thapar|2y=2018|2pp=123–125}} The [[Caste system in India|Indian caste system]], which developed in post-Classical India and served as the source for legitimate social interactions, served as a key part of that. Both Hinduism and the [[Brahmin]]s' high status upheld the caste system. The Brahmins used their monopoly on education and theological authority to maintain their position, while Hinduism created a psychological justification for it in the form of the cycle of [[reincarnation]].{{sfn|Kalberg|2017|pp=238–240}} A person's position in the caste order was thought to have been determined by one's actions in their past life.{{sfnm|1a1=Ritzer|1y=2009|1p=35|2a1=Gellner|2y=1982|2pp=535–537|3a1=Kalberg|3y=2017|3p=240}} As a result, advancement of the [[soul]] and obeying the predetermined order were more important than seeking advancement in the material world, including economic advancement.{{sfnm|1a1=Ritzer|1y=2009|1p=35|2a1=Weber|2a2=Turner|2y=2014|2p=396|3a1=Kalberg|3y=2017|3p=240}}

Weber ended his research of society and religion in India by bringing in insights from his previous work on China to discuss the similarities of the Asian belief systems.{{sfnm|1a1=Bendix|1a2=Roth|1y=1977|1pp=198–199|2a1=Schluchter|2y=2018|2pp=101–102}} He noted that these religions' believers used otherworldly [[Religious experience|mystical experience]]s to interpret the meaning of life.{{sfnm|1a1=Bendix|1a2=Roth|1y=1977|1pp=198–199|2a1=Schluchter|2y=2018|2pp=92–93}} The social world was fundamentally divided between the educated elite who followed the guidance of a [[prophet]] or wise man and the uneducated masses whose beliefs are centered on magic. In Asia, there were no [[messianic prophecies]] to give both educated and uneducated followers meaning in their regular lives.{{sfn|Bendix|Roth|1977|pp=198–199}} Weber juxtaposed such Messianic prophecies, notably from the [[Near East]], with the exemplary prophecies found in mainland Asia that focused more on reaching to the educated elites and enlightening them on the proper ways to live one's life, usually with little emphasis on hard work and the material world.{{sfnm|1a1=Bendix|1a2=Roth|1y=1977|1pp=90, 198–199|2a1=Schluchter|2y=2018|2p=98}} It was those differences that prevented Western countries from following the paths of the earlier Chinese and Indian civilisations. His next work, ''Ancient Judaism'', was an attempt to prove this theory.{{sfnm|1a1=Bendix|1a2=Roth|1y=1977|1pp=198–199|2a1=Schluchter|2y=2018|2pp=96–97|3a1=Kalberg|3y=2017|3p=237}}