MAX

WEBER
 Syllabus
Social action
Ideal types
Authority
Bureaucracy
Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism
 Founding father
Bridged gap between positivists & anti–positivists.

Sociology
A science which attempts at interpretative understanding of social
action
(in order to arrive at an explanation of cause & its effect)

Subject matter drawn from idealists

(i.e., interpretive understanding of social action)
and
Methodology drawn from positivists
(i.e., trying to ascertain cause & effect)
 Why such a choice for subject matter?
Influenced by Kantian epistemology

What is Kantian epistemology

That individual has consciousness & cannot be treated like matter

Actors have individual consciousness, voluntary will

Socio shall try to understand this
And then Why such a Methodology?
19th century Europe obsessed with scientific methods
(focusing on observations, objectivity, testability)

For him, science was a vocation & scientific methods its core

Rejected methods of natural sciences

Proposed his own scientific methods (which conformed to ideals of science).

Like
Ideal Types
Causal Pluralism
Comparative Analysis
 Social Action
Book: Methodology of Social Sciences

Any action is social if

Meaning attached to it by the actor
(consciously performed, some motivation)

Orientation towards others

(physically or mentally present)
 Scope of Sociology
Is to interpret meaning attached to the action by the actor

Why study social Action

To establish cause & effect

How to Study
Using Verstehen
(literally means comprehending or understanding)
 Verstehen
Highly influenced by methods used by Karl Jespers

Involves certain steps

Investigator should –
• Reconstruct choices & constraints of actor

• Come at same wavelength with the actor

(terms of communication, appearance, behavior)

• Have detached interest in the actor & his situation. Ensuring objectivity.

• Then interact with the actor to understand meanings attached.

It is the only method?
No

There could be other methods

(like ideal types)

Establishing plurality of causes

 Types of Social Action
TAWZ

Traditional
Meanings drawn by the actor from the beliefs or traditions in the society

Affective
Meaning comes from emotions, in a particular situation
Individual consciousness is least
(Fear, hatred, love, anger)
 Wert Rational
(or value Rational)
A rational action
Ends are “value” driven, i.e., valued by society.
Means are rational
(Helping a poor with money, saving a drowing man)

Zweck Rational
(or End Rational)
Ends are rational as well (Means too)
Based on individual’s own needs & motivations.
(Preparing hard for exam)
 Actual Action
A mix of all these
(like a color is a mix of basic colors R G B)
 Ideal Types
Not a new method
Used to comprehend reality, whether natural or social

Weber
In sociology, social realities can be understood through ideal types
 What are they?
“abstractions employed to understand complexity of social world”

Involves identifying abstract elements

(Elements can be indefinite but have to found by a trained investigator)
 Characteristics of Ideal types
Contain specific traits

These traits represent partial reality only (not total reality)

Traits may not be visible (but identified analytically)

Ideal types are logical constructs, act as measuring rods.

Be used as a device, not as a reality.

 Ideal type of Authority

Weber
“Legitimate power is authority”
“It is the capacity to implement one’s decision irrespective of the will of
others”
Its ideal type contains 3 elements, based on 3 sources of legitimate
power
 3 sources of Legitimate Power
Traditional Authority
Derived from beliefs & traditions & values
(Eg. Authority of a priest, elderly)

Charismatic Authority
From some quality of individual
(Eg. : intelligence, beauty, communication skills, etc).

Rational Legal
From some rational means generally has authority of law
(Eg. Bureaucrats, politicians, ministers)
 Actual
Mix of all

Weber used Ideal types for 3 things

Abstract Elements
like social action, authority etc.

Particular type of behavior

Economics, Political, Religious

Historical Phenomenons
Protestant ethics, Historical cities
 Protestant Ethics & Spirit of Capitalism
Weber’s observation
In modern Europe, majority capitalists were protestant
Is there any collection?

He checked it using the technique of ideal types

 Ideal Type of Protestant Ethics
It is called Calvinism
Given by John Calvin
It’s tenets are -

Own Glory
God created world for own glory, no priest can mediate

Doctrine of Predestination
People already chosen for heaven

Asceticism
This worldly asceticism. Self discipline to receive glory of god

Notion of Calling
All work sacred
To be done with devotion
 Ideal Type of Capitalism
Differentiated between modern & traditional capitalism
Modern is Rationally organized

Wealth
Not for enjoyment but for creating more wealth

Individualism
Leads to hardwork & innovation

Profit
Unlimited accumulation of profits by rational org. of work

Ethics
Time is money. Work is worship. Worker means to an end
 Comparing the 2 Ideal types
Weber found Elective affinity

Elements of P.E. had strong tendency to support capitalism

Comparing the two Ideal Types
Predestination
Led to tension

Asceticism
Re-investment
Individualism

Notion of Calling
Work is worship

Greater Profit &Wealth

Meant chosen