Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (German: Maximilian Carl Emil Weber, April 21, 1864, Erfurt, Prussia - June 14, 1920, Munich, Germany), known as Max Weber (German: Max Weber) was a German sociologist, philosopher, historian, and political economist.
Weber's ideas had a significant influence on the development of social sciences, especially sociology. Along with Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx, Weber is considered one of the founders of sociological science.
Weber introduced the term “social action” into scientific use. The scientist was a consistent supporter of antipositivist methods, arguing that not a purely empirical, but an “explanatory”, “interpretive” method is better suited for the study of social actions. Within the framework of the concept of understanding sociology based on it, the scientist tried not only to consider this or that social action, but also to recognize the purpose and meaning of what was happening from the point of view of the individuals involved.
The core of Weber's scientific interests was the study of the processes of transition of society from traditional to modern: rationalization, secularization, “disenchantment of the world.” One of the scientist’s most famous works was his dissertation on the Protestant origins of capitalism. Research at the intersection of economic sociology and the sociology of religion was developed in the famous book “ Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism,” which was published in 1905.
Opposing the Marxist concept of historical materialism, Weber noted the importance of the cultural influences exerted by religion - it was in this that he saw the key to understanding the genesis of the capitalist form of economic management. Subsequently, the scientist studied the religions of China, India and ancient Judaism, trying to find in them the causes of those processes that determined the differences between the economic structure of the West and the East.
In his other famous work, “Politics as a Vocation and Profession” (1919), Weber defined the state as an institution that has a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. The sociologist first identified Various types public power, emphasizing that the institutions of the modern state are in everything to a greater extent are based on the rational-legal type. The scientist made a certain contribution to the development of economic history, theory and methodology of economics. Weber's research in the field of rationalization of society influenced the formation critical theory, which developed primarily within the framework of the Frankfurt School.
Weber became one of the founders of the liberal German Democratic Party, which was formed after the First World War. Later, the scientist unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the German parliament and advised the commission on the development new constitution. Weber died in 1920 at the age of 56, caused by the Spanish flu pandemic and subsequent pneumonia. Weber's younger brother Alfred also became a researcher in the field of sociology.
Books (10)
Agrarian history of the Ancient World
Another book large series“Publications of the TsFS” (small series “LOGICA SOCIALIS”) is the first book of a two-volume series, which includes three works on historical sociology that are very important for understanding the work of M. Weber: “Agrarian History Ancient world", "Economy History" and "City".
The first book includes “Agrarian History of the Ancient World” and, as an appendix, M. Rostovtsev’s article “Colonate”, which is very important for understanding all three works of M. Weber.
City
Definitions of “city” can be very different in nature.
What they all have in common is only one thing: that the city is a closed (at least relatively) settlement, “ locality", rather than one or more separately located dwellings. In cities (though not only in cities), houses are crowded - and today, as a rule, wall to wall - adjacent to each other.
Favorites. Image of society
The book is a collection of works by one of the leading Western sociologists, M. Weber.
The publication included following works: “Sociology of religion”, “Introduction” to “Economic ethics of world religions”, “City”, “ Social reasons the fall of ancient culture", "Rational and sociological foundations of music".
Selected works
The book is a collection of works on sociology by one of the leading Western sociologists of the 19th - 20th centuries. Max Weber (1864-1920), who had and continues to have a significant influence on its development.
The works included in the collection reflect his ideas about the connection between sociology and history, about “understanding sociology”, the concept of “ideal types”, etc. M. Weber is often called in the West “the great bourgeois antipode of Karl Marx” and even “the Marx of the bourgeoisie” "
The book includes: “Protestant ethics and the spirit of capitalism”, research on the methodology of science, various sociological articles.
Science as a calling and profession
This work is a report (translated with slight abbreviations) given by Weber in the winter of 1918 at the University of Munich with the immediate purpose of showing students what their calling was as future scientists and teachers.
Political works 1895–1919
The book is a collection of works by an outstanding German sociologist.
Max Weber's articles and speeches on political problems, despite their relevance, had never been published in Russia before and were known to a narrow circle specialists. This collection is intended to fill this gap.
“Our generation is not destined to see whether the struggle we are waging will bear fruit; whether posterity recognizes us as their ancestors. If we fail to escape the curse of which we are in the grip of being born after a political great era- then we must be able to become something else: the predecessors of an even greater one. Will this be our place in history? I don’t know and I’ll just say: the right of young people is to defend themselves and their ideals. And it is not years that turn a person into an old man: he is young as long as he is able to perceive the world with those great passions that nature has invested in us.”
Protestant ethics and the spirit of capitalism
The book contains the work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” by M. Weber, where he shows the relationship between Protestant religious values and the development of the “spirit of capitalism,” arguing that in countries where these values dominated, capitalist relations were established faster and easier. The book also includes articles by V.L. Kerov “The modern sound of the theory of M. Weber and A.I. Neusykhin about Protestantism”, M.I. Lapitsky “Religious foundations economic activity", I.V. Zabaeva "Religion and the problem of modernization (on the example of M. Weber and S. Bulgakov)."
Sociology is a science that studies society, the features of its development and social systems, as well as social institutions, relationships and communities. It reveals the internal mechanisms of the structure of society and the development of its structures, the patterns of social actions and mass behavior people and, of course, the peculiarities of interaction between society and people.
Max Weber
One of the most prominent specialists in the field of sociology, as well as one of its founders (along with Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim), is a German sociologist, political economist, historian and philosopher named Max Weber. His ideas had a strong influence on the development of sociological science, as well as a number of other social disciplines. He adhered to the methods of antipositivism and argued that a more interpretive and explanatory approach should be used to study social action, rather than a purely empirical one. The very concept of “social action” was also introduced by Max Weber. But, among other things, this man is also the founder of understanding sociology, where any social actions are not simply considered, but their meaning and purpose are recognized from the position of the people involved in what is happening.
Understanding Sociology
According to the ideas of Max Weber, sociology should be precisely an “understanding” science, because human behavior is meaningful. However, this understanding cannot be called psychological, because the meaning does not belong to the realm of the psyche, which means it cannot be considered a subject of study. This meaning is part of social action - behavior that is correlated with the behavior of others, oriented, corrected and regulated by it. The basis of the discipline created by Weber is the idea that the laws of nature and society are opposite to each other, which means that there are two basic types scientific knowledge– this is natural science (natural sciences) and humanitarian knowledge (cultural sciences). Sociology, in turn, is a frontier science that must combine the best of them. It turns out that from humanitarian knowledge the methodology of understanding and correlation with values is taken, and from natural knowledge– cause-and-effect interpretation of the surrounding reality and commitment to accurate data. The essence of an understanding sociology should be the understanding and explanation by the sociologist of the following:
- Through what meaningful actions do people strive to realize their aspirations, to what extent and thanks to what can they succeed or fail?
- What consequences have the aspirations of some people had and can have on the behavior of others?
But, if Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim considered social phenomena from the position of objectivism, and the main subject of analysis for them was society, then Max Weber proceeded from the fact that the nature of the social should be considered subjectively, and the emphasis should be placed on behavior individual person. In other words, the subject of sociology should be the behavior of an individual, his picture of the world, beliefs, opinions, ideas, etc. After all, it is the individual with his ideas, motives, goals, etc. makes it possible to understand what causes social interactions. And, based on the premises that the main feature of the social is an accessible and understandable subjective meaning, Max Weber’s sociology was called understanding.
Social action
Social action according to Weber can be of several types, based on four types motivation:
- Purposeful social action– is based on the expectation of specific behavior of other people and objects outside world, as well as on the application of this expectation as a “means” or “condition” for ends that are rationally directed and regulated (for example, success);
- Value-based and rational social action – is based on a conscious belief in the religious, aesthetic, ethical or any other unconditional value of any behavior taken as a basis, regardless of its success and effectiveness;
- Affective social action – it is mainly an emotional action that is caused by the affects or intense emotional states of a person;
- Traditional social action – based on habitual human behavior.
Ideal type
To identify cause-and-effect relationships and comprehend human behavior, Max Weber introduced the term “ideal type.” This ideal type is an artificially logically constructed term that allows us to highlight the main features of the subject being studied. social phenomenon. The ideal type is not formed by abstract theoretical constructs, but is based on manifestations that take place in real life. Moreover, the concept itself is dynamic – because society and the area of interest of its researchers may change; it is necessary to form new typologies that will correspond to these changes.
Social institutions
Weber also separately identified social institutions, such as the state, church, family and others, and social associations, such as societies and groups. Analysis social institutions The scientist paid special attention. At the center of them is always the state, which Weber himself defined as a special organization of public power that has a monopoly on legitimate violence. Religion is the most striking representative of the meaning-forming principles in human behavior. It is interesting that Weber was interested not so much in the essence of religion, but in how a person perceives and understands it, based on his subjective experiences. Thus, in the course of his research, Max Weber even revealed the relationship between people’s religious beliefs and their economic behavior.
Study of bureaucracy
The works of Max Weber also explore such phenomena as bureaucracy and the bureaucratization of society. It should be said that the attitude of sociological science towards bureaucracy is neutral. Weber viewed it through the prism of rationality, which, in his understanding, is bureaucracy. In understanding sociology, the effectiveness of bureaucracy is its fundamental characteristic, as a result of which this term itself acquires positive value. However, Weber also noted that bureaucracy poses a potential threat to democracy and liberal-bourgeois freedoms, but despite this, no society can fully exist without a bureaucratic machine.
The influence of understanding sociology
The emergence of Max Weber's understanding sociology and its development had a profound impact on Western sociology mid and second half of the 20th century. Even now it is the subject of heated debate in the field of theoretical and methodological problems sociological knowledge generally. Those initial premises that Max Weber formulated were subsequently developed by such famous sociologists as Edward Shils, Florian Witold Znaniensky, George Herbert Mead and many others. And thanks to the work of the American sociologist Talcott Parsons in generalizing the concepts of understanding sociology, the theory of social action served as the fundamental starting point for the entire behavioral science of our time.
conclusions
If we think from the position of Max Weber, then sociology is the science of social behavior, striving for its understanding and interpretation. And social behavior reflects a person’s subjective attitude, his externally or internally manifested position, which is focused on committing an action or refusing to do it. This attitude can be considered behavior when in a person’s mind it is associated with a certain meaning. And behavior is considered social when, in this sense, it correlates with the behavior of other people. The main task of understanding sociology is to determine the motives that motivate people in certain situations.
If you are interested in the ideas of Max Weber, you can turn to the study of one (or all) of his main works - “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”, “Economy and Society”, “Basic Sociological Concepts”, as well as works devoted to issues of religion - "Ancient Judaism", "Religions of India: Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism" and "Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism".
Maximilian Karl Emil Weber was a German sociologist and political economist. He is best known for his thesis on the "Protestant ethic", the connection between Protestantism and capitalism, and his thoughts on bureaucracy. His profound influence on sociological theory due to its demands for scientific objectivity and analysis of the motives of human actions.
Early biography
Max Weber was born on April 21, 1864 in Erfurt (Prussia). He was the eldest of Helen and Max Weber's 7 children. The father was a wealthy liberal politician who soon joined the more loyal pro-Bismarck "National Liberals". The family moved from Erfurt to Berlin, where the elder Weber became a member of the Prussian Chamber of Deputies (1868-97) and the Reichstag (1872-84). He entered the Berlin high society and hosted prominent politicians and scientists.
The sociologist's mother was raised in strict Calvinist traditions. Although her attitude towards religion gradually became more tolerant, Puritan morality remained with her forever. her husband alienated her from him, especially when he did not support her long mourning after the death of their two children. In turn, the father traditionally treated his family in an authoritarian manner and demanded absolute obedience. Apparently, the gloomy situation in Max Weber's family and the conflict between his parents became the reasons mental suffering, which haunted him into adulthood.
Years of study
Weber left home to enter the University of Heidelberg in 1882. After 2 years, he interrupted his studies to spend a year studying military service in Strasbourg. During this time, he became close to the family of his aunt Ida Baumgarten and her historian husband, who had a profound influence on Weber's intellectual development.
However, after completing his military service, his father asked him to continue his studies at Berlin University so that he can study law and economic history, living at home. Perhaps because he considered the influence of the Baumgartens subversive. From 1884 until his marriage in 1893, Weber left home only for a semester of study in Göttingen in 1885 and several times for military service.
Carier start
Thus, most his early biography Max Weber lived in his parents' house, where he was constantly at the center of family conflict. Since he simultaneously trained as a legal assistant and at the university, until the fall of 1893 he could not afford to live separately. At that time, he received a temporary position as a lecturer in law at the University of Berlin and married his second cousin, Marianne Schnittger.
After his wedding and return to Berlin in 1894, Weber worked long and hard. Only such disciplined work, in his opinion, could overcome his laziness and prevent an emotional and spiritual crisis.
Weber's ability for intense intellectual work and his undeniable talent became the reasons rapid growth his professional career. A year later, after his appointment in Berlin, he became professor of political economy in Freiburg, and in 1896 he received a similar position in Heidelberg.
His scientific work was devoted to agrarian history Ancient Rome and the evolution of medieval trading societies. Weber then produced a comprehensive analysis of East German agrarian problems for one of the country's most important academic societies, the Union social policy. He also wrote an essay on the German stock exchange and the social decline of ancient civilization.
Early biography of Max Weber noted political activity- he collaborated with the left-liberal Protestant Social Union.
Speech in Freiburg
The culmination of the early scientific career Weber's inaugural address in Freiburg in 1895, in which the results of his 5 years of research into the agrarian problems of Germany east of the Elbe became an indictment of the historically outdated Junker aristocracy. However, in his opinion, the existing liberal parties could not challenge them. The working class was also not ready to take responsibility. Only a nation as a whole, politically mature through a deliberate policy of overseas imperial expansion, could bring Germany to the level of political maturity achieved by the French in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras and the British during their imperial expansion in the 19th century. In this regard, the Freiburg speech promoted the ideology of "liberal imperialism", attracting the support of such important liberal publicists as Friedrich Naumann and Hans Delbrück.
After the death of his father in August 1897, Max Weber's biography was marked by the beginning of problems with nervous system. His return to teaching in the fall led to a brief respite, which ended early in 1898 with the first signs of nervous breakdown which rendered it inoperative between 1898 and 1903. For 5 years he periodically fell into medical institutions, suffering sudden relapses after slow recovery and futile efforts to break these cycles with travel. At the height of his illness, he left teaching in Heidelberg.
Later works
In 1903 Weber was able to resume scientific activity, and the inheritance received in 1907 made him financially independent. He did not teach until the end of World War I. The character of himself important work after a partial recovery, suggests that his long illness led him to a brilliant understanding of the relationship between Calvinist morality and compulsive work, the relationship between various religious ethics and socio-economic processes, and many others important issues. Your very own meaningful work he wrote over the 17 years between the peak of his illness and his death.
The intellectual breadth of Weber's sociology cannot be overestimated. He surpassed the achievements of predecessors such as Karl Marx and Dissatisfied with the intellectual traditions of the social sciences and law in German and Western universities, Weber sought to develop scientific approach, which would allow them to overcome their shortcomings. Although he never fully defined the systematic research program, explaining his comparative methodology, his essays on historical development Eastern and Western societies allow us to compose about him general idea. Weber demonstrated that the comparative method has important, since the behavior of institutions in societies cannot be understood in isolation. Even his popular work on the connection between Puritanism and the development of capitalism in the West cannot be fully understood without reference to his writings on similar institutions - for example, studies of Asian religions and ancient Judaism.
In preparation for writing his major work, which he never completed, the German philosopher created an ideal type - a methodological tool for comparative sociology. Weber, in analyzing the history of Western societies, focused on rationalism as the unique and central force shaping everything. Western institutions, including economics, politics, religion, family, social classes and music. These typologies had a decisive influence on the development of subsequent, more specialized sociological inquiries.
Sociology of religion
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-05) is Weber's best-known and most controversial work, which illustrates the general trend of his thinking. The author first notes the statistical correlation in Germany of the success of capitalist enterprises with the Protestant background. He then attributes this connection to the incidental psychological consequences of the ideas of predestination and calling in Puritan theology. Calvin's formulation of the doctrine of predestination suggests that sinful humanity cannot know why or to whom it applies. God's grace salvation. In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber suggested that the psychological insecurity that this doctrine imposed on believers in the fires of hell led to the search for signs indicating the direction God's will, V Everyday life. The consequence was an ethic of unceasing commitment to one's worldly calling (any failure would indicate that grace was in question) and an ascetic abstinence from the pleasures of the profits gained from such labor. The practical result of such beliefs and practices was, according to Max Weber's theory, the fastest possible accumulation of capital.
The German sociologist published his dissertation on Protestant ethics in the journal he began to edit, Archiv für Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialpolitik. From 1905 to 1910, Weber published criticisms of and responses to his dissertation. He did not deny that highly developed capitalist enterprises existed centuries before Calvin. Weber was also aware of other preconditions, both material and psychological, that contributed to the development modern capitalism. He responded to these remarks by saying that before Calvinism, capitalist enterprise and the accumulation of wealth were always subject to passive or active hostility from the side of the religious system. If some capitalists, by virtue of their skepticism, were able to escape the sense of guilt that the religious ethos dictates, the fact is that no other religious tradition has ever caused people to see the accumulation of capital (saving) as a sign of God's eternal grace.
The Puritans, according to Weber, voluntarily adopted the cloak of worldly asceticism as a means of relieving an otherwise intolerable spiritual burden. Nevertheless, in this way they helped create the huge structure of the modern economic institute, which continued to determine the lives and values of all who were born into it.
Politics and government
Around the time he was publishing his work on the Protestant ethic, the German middle-class culture in which Weber was raised experienced its first spasms of disintegration. Protestant morality, which he accepted as his inevitable destiny, came under attack from the youth movement, avant-garde literary circles centered on the poet Stefane Gheorghe, the neo-romantic Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud, as well as Slavic cultural ideals exemplified by the works of Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky. The German philosopher made a decisive distinction between charismatic, traditional and legal forms of power, which was reflected in Weber's later published work “Politics as a Vocation and Profession”.
Or charisma refers to the gift of spiritual inspiration underlying the power of religious prophets or extraordinary political leaders. In his study of charisma, Weber touched on topics that Nietzsche first touched on.
Rationalism and methodology
His keen interest in social phenomena, such as mysticism, contradictory modern world, and the rationalism that underlies it, runs parallel to the late awakening of Weber's aesthetic and erotic talents. In 1910, following the collapse of the European middle class social order, he began a series of important discussions with George and his close student, the poet Friedrich Gundolf. Around the same time, Weber entered into extramarital affairs, having perhaps his first experience of sexual intimacy. One of his most brilliant late essays, “Religious Denials of the World and Their Directions,” contains an analysis of the contradictory relationships between eroticism, asceticism and mystical forms of religiosity and general process rationalization.
At the same time, the German philosopher tried to strengthen respect for sociology as a discipline by defining its methodology and analyzing the religious cultures of India and China in comparison with the Western religious tradition. Critical in last period In his biography, Max Weber stoically dealt with the conditions and consequences of the rationalization of political and economic life in the West. This was done in Economics and Society (1922) and journal articles.
At the origins of the Weimar Republic
IN last years Max Weber's life had a significant influence on his contemporaries when, from 1916 to 1918, he decisively opposed Germany's aggressive military goals and in favor of strengthening parliament. He bravely defended sobriety in politics and teaching against the apocalyptic sentiments of right-wing students in the first months after Germany's defeat in the First World War.
In 1919, Weber's work “Politics as a Vocation and Profession” was published, in which he defined the state as an institution with a monopoly on violence.
After participating in the creation of the new constitution and the German Democratic Party, Weber fell ill with influenza and died of pneumonia in June 1920.
Heritage
The German sociologist had great influence on his colleagues, many of whom were his friends in Heidelberg or Berlin. However, Max Weber's main works were not published in book form, but only in specialized magazines, so they became widely known only after his death. The only exceptions was his 1895 formulation of "liberal imperialism", his much discussed thesis on Protestantism and capitalism and his criticism of German foreign and domestic policy during the First World War in the pages of the Frankfurter Zeitung, which stimulated liberal sentiment against the government's war plans and led the general to consider Weber a traitor.
Finally
Generally greatest merit German philosopher is that he brought social Sciences in Germany, who previously were mainly engaged in national problems, to a direct critical confrontation with the international giants of 19th-century European thought, Marx and Nietzsche. Through this, Weber helped create the methodology and literature concerned with the sociology of religion, political parties, and economics, as well as pioneer studies of formal organizations, small group behavior, and the philosophy of history.
(German) Max Weber)(* April 21, 1864, Erfurt - † July 14, 1920, Munich) - German sociologist, economist and jurist. One of the founders of sociology as a science.Max Weber was born on April 21, 1864 in Erfurt (Germany). The family in which Weber grew up was quite wealthy and belonged to the commodity-industrial bourgeoisie and the bureaucracy. Max's father joined the pro-Bismarck national liberals and went to Berlin, where he first became a member of the Prussian parliament and then the Reichstag.
Even before entering the gymnasium (1876), Max Weber was interested in the works of Herodotus, Livy, Tacitus, Ranke, Siebel, Droysen, and Treitschke. And then, in the process of intellectual development, he improved his knowledge more and more deeply. So Weber received academic training as a lawyer at the Universities of Berlin, Göttingen, Strastburz, and Heidelberg, specialized in the history and theory of law, but the center of his interests were problems of politics in in a broad sense this word. In 1889, Weber defended his doctoral dissertation. Then he held the position of professor at Freiburg and Heidelberg universities, and gave lectures at other educational institutions in Germany - which was a great achievement for the young scientist. In addition to delivering his lectures, he wrote an incredibly large number scientific works, the importance of which for society can hardly be overestimated. Moreover, these works concerned various areas and directions. scientific research. With them, Weber formed his own concept of vision of the principles of social existence and functioning of humanity as a system.
1904 published the work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”
M. Weber (photo 1894) Max Weber was born in the mid-19th century. and his development as a man coincided with important changes in society and with the process of significant rethinking by people of the entire world order. After the French Revolution of 1848, the world was consumed by the idea of liberalism, which attracted very large masses of the population. It became clear to the whole world that a society of a completely new quality was being born, which was based on completely new ideas. This transformation and transition from feudal to capitalist relations was not a surprise to humanity. Capitalism was born organically and gradually absorbed all spheres of people's lives. Weber turned out to be a real eyewitness to its development as a dominant ideology, so he own experience could draw many conclusions about this phenomenon. It is the nature of the emergence of capitalism that Weber seeks to explore in his work. Studying this problem, he becomes convinced that although capitalism has deep historical background, but him active development in the 20th century was not a historical pattern. Rather, it was the result of a combination of many historical factors in a single region (Europe), and this symbiosis directed the development of the entire continent towards practical capitalism. Actually, “Protestant Ethics” is aimed at revealing what, in his opinion, is the most important set of prerequisites that created the social system that now dominates. Weber had a few more outstanding works on this topic, which tried to explain some aspects of the then social life. But Weber effectively explored precisely the cultural and spiritual aspects of the new European capitalist relations. In this way, he largely contradicted Marx’s vision of the primacy of economic relations in the formation of everything new. On the one hand, Max Weber recognizes Marx as an outstanding scientist who began the scientific study of capitalism and saw capitalism as a powerful factor progressive development compared to the feudal type of economy. In addition, he considers Karl Marx's analysis of capitalism to be absolutely utopian. In the words of the author himself: “With Protestant ethics, I wanted to show the inability of the Marxist principle according to which only economic relations in society determine the forms public consciousness" That is why Weber’s works were so taboo in the Soviet Union, where only the material aspect was taken as the basis for everything new human life. The genius of the thinker and his “Protestant Ethic” is that by exploring the reasons for the emergence of capitalism in Europe, we can make our own thorough analysis of the main fundamental factors European society, trace the nature of their development and try to personally make predictions regarding the influence of these factors on European society.
Actually, the main concept for which the Protestant Ethic was written can be expressed in just two words. But according to Weber, these two words allowed human civilization not to perish within yourself, but to take a big step forward towards improvement. It is the Spirit of capitalism that is “to blame” for the fact that humanity has achieved such enormous development today. The author, revealing this concept, also reveals its essence, the prerequisites for its emergence and development. To do your research full max Weber, in the first chapter of his work, examines in detail what he called the Spirit. In this, he completely relies on Benjamin Franklin - in his opinion, the one who first combined a thorough disclosure of this concept in his works on their effective practical implementation. This part of the work is so practical that it can be relied upon a common person in everyday life, using it as a guide for living and surviving in the conditions of capitalist competition. Here you can find Franklin's words quoted many times, followed by small but correct conclusions from Weber. Based on words American President, the author reveals the features of mentality, which is a necessary component of the behavior of his contemporaries who want to see their business successful and profitable. Weber operates with such concepts as time and money,
German sociologist, creator of “understanding” sociology and the theory of social action. His main works: “Protestant ethics and the spirit of capitalism”, “Basic sociological concepts”, “On some categories of understanding sociology”, etc.
Weber called his sociology "understanding" since it is designed to reveal the meaning of people's behavior, to “understand” and “explain” their social actions. Exactly social action he singled out as subject of sociology. Social actions are expressed in the actions of people focused on achieving certain conscious or unconscious actions. Using your concept "ideal type" Weber identified four " ideal types» social action (Appendix, diagram 4):
§ purposeful- aimed at achieving a certain result (for example, the economic behavior of an entrepreneur);
§ value-rational - focused on certain values (moral, religious, aesthetic, etc.) accepted by the individual (the captain standing until the end on the bridge of a sinking ship);
§ traditional - dictated by established habits and customs. beliefs;
§ affective - due to emotional state, strong feeling.
Of all the listed types, only the first two. according to Weber, are social, or rational(conscious), since a person performs the third action automatically, according to traditions, and the fourth - unconsciously, obeying feelings (affects). Weber also noted that the degree of distribution of one or another type of social action predetermines the nature and level of development of the society itself. So. Industrial, highly organized societies are characterized by value-rational and, especially, goal-oriented actions, and archaic, primitive societies are characterized by traditional and affective actions.
Using his concept of social action, Weber tried to systematize the variety of forms of political domination and identified three types of legitimate (recognized) domination:
§ legal- based on purposeful, rational action, presupposes submission to rationally based rules, laws, and not to the individual:
§ traditional - based on traditional action, due to adherence to traditions, customs, “the habit of certain behavior”;
§ charismatic - based on faith in the extraordinary, exceptional abilities of the bearer of power (from the Greek. charisma- grace, divine gift) and is associated with affective actions.
Weber proceeded from the fact that historical process the degree of rationality of social actions and, in general, all aspects of life is growing. The principle of rationality finds its most consistent embodiment in rule of law, which functions on the basis of goal-rational and value-rational interactions between managers and managed.
According to theories of rational bureaucracy Weber than more complex society And production processes, those great need occurs in special class bureaucracy, whose main occupation is professional management. According to Weber, the ideal manager (bureaucrat) must meet the following characteristics:
§ be guided as little as possible in your activities
§ emotions, but more rational considerations;
§ treat everyone who comes into contact with you equally (impersonally)
§ him in the process of execution management decisions:
§ strictly comply with the requirements of formal rules and instructions;
§ at work, perceive yourself as a function, a “detail” of a management mechanism.
Weber's work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” gained worldwide fame, in which he shows how ethical principles Protestantism (thrift, honesty, hard work) contribute to the emergence of capitalism. While studying world religions, Weber came to the conclusion that. that there is a certain relationship between the religious morality prevailing in society and the economic behavior of people, when religious and ethical views influence the nature and motives of economic activity.
Weber also laid the foundations of modern theories social stratification. He believed that not only economic factor in the form of property (Marxist theory), but also political (power L and also status (prestige) can be considered as criteria for social stratification, which thanks to this becomes multidimensional.
Max Weber can be called the Leonardo da Vinci of sociology. He developed all the basic theories that form the foundation of sociology today.
In the 19th century began to take shape psychological direction in sociology. Most prominent representatives psychological school in sociology there were G. Tarde, G. Lebon and F. Tönnies. The merit of these scientists is that they created the socio-psychological concept of sociology and tried to explain the role of the subjective factor in history.