RE: [PEN-L] Jared Diamond/ Protestant Work Ethic/ Mañana Syndrome

[Rui Correia <r_correia@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

How do these tie in with each other?
*Guns, Germs & Steel
*Protestant Work Ethic & Catholic confession
*Good weather & the Mañana Syndrome
*Machismo

I ask for indulgence on these ?less-than-academic? statements, but I would
really enjoy some comment.

At the time I read the book, I satisfied a curiosity I had held for some
time to read up on the so-called "Protestant Work Ethic" to see how it would
tie in with "Guns, Germs and Steel". 

A mad Swiss professor who taught me French at university in South Africa had
a weather theory - the colder countries of northern Europe developed a work
hard ethic because they had very little time to plant their crops and
harvest them before the winter. In the south, there was no need to rush and
therefore 'mañana' became the modus vivendi. 

Coincidently ? or not ? the colder countries are the predominantly
Protestant countries (barring N. Ireland), whereas the warmer southern
countries are predominantly Catholic.

To go a bit further into the ?protestant work ethic?, ?by the sweat on your
brow? and other beliefs rigidly observed have far more clout when you don?t
have confession to fall back on (Catholic) and know that you have but one
lifetime to ?earn? paradise.

With all the reaches plundered from Latin America, Portugal and Spain are at
the tail end of western European economies while Nordic countries enjoy the
highest standards of living. There must be some logic to this

Just for clarity: I was born both Portuguese and Catholic. 

Rui  

________________________________________________
 
 
Rui Correia
Advocacy, Media and Language Consultant
38 Finch St, 
Ontdekkers Park, Roodepoort, 
Johannesburg, South Africa
Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336
Cell (+27) (0) 83-368-1214



-----Original Message-----
From: PEN-L list [mailto:PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jim Devine
Sent: 11 August 2005 23:34
To: PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Good article on Jared Diamond

me: 
> >I don't think the issue is whether one likes or dislikes Diamond. It's
> >his work that's relevant.

On 8/11/05, Carl Remick  wrote: 
> It's nice to think so, but Diamond -- as a major brand-name academic
> humanist -- does a severe disservice to any progressive cause through his
> fatuous endorsement of self-aggrandizing CEOs as mensches.

do lefties salute when Diamond walks by? I never chose him as my
leader, while he wasn't put in any position allowing him to make
decisions for me or anyone else, so I don't see the point of getting
personal.
-- 
Jim Devine
"Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let
people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.