MAX WEBER

MAX WEBER-Presented by:Mr. Deep GurungDoctoral Research FellowDepartment of Business AdministrationTezpur University(Dated: 19/09/2014)VERSTEHEN

MAX WEBER (A short Biography)1864-1920Attended HeidelbergStudied law, medieval history, economics and philosophyJoined military serviceBecame lawyer and started teaching in University of BerlinIn 1893, taught economics at University of Freiburg and then moved to chair of economics at Heidelburg.

Works of Max WeberThe Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism (1916)The Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism (1916-17)The Sociology of Religion (1921)Economy and Society (died during this work)

Sociology DefinedMax Weber defined sociology as,

A science which attempts the interpretative understanding of social action in order thereby to arrive at a causal explanation of its course and effects.

CAUSALITYProbability of an even following an eventWeber thought In social research causal certainty is impossibleTo understand human action we need a different method (other than natural science method)

VERSTEHENGerman term that means to understand, perceive, know, and comprehend the nature and significance of a phenomenonIn Sociology, it means systematic interpretive process of meaningful understandingRefers to understanding the meaning of action from the actor's point of view

Social ActionSocial action meant action on the part of individuals participating in social relationships.The social action theory sees society as being all about how people interact.Meaningful action: Takes account of the behavior of others and is thereby oriented in its course

Types of Social ActionTraditional Social Action: Guided by customs and long standing beliefsPeople engage in this type of action often unthinkingly

Affective action: Results from the emotional state of mind of the actorBased on the emotional state of the person

Rational action in relation to a goal(Zweckrational)Action in which the means to attain a particular goal are rationally chosen

Rational action in relation to a value(Wertrational)value-oriented rationalityvalues come from within an ethical, religious, philosophical contextGoal which in itself may not be rationalPursued through rational means

Ideal TypeTool for interpretative understanding social action is Ideal TypeA methodological tool to understand and analyze social realityA model, for the scrutiny and systematic characterization of a concrete situation Means by which to categorize, interpret, and predict social actions

Bureaucracy IDEAL TYPE

A system of government in which most of the important decisions are taken by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

Official business is conducted on a continuous basis.Business is conducted in accordance with stipulated rules.Every officials responsibility and authority are a part of a hierarchy of authority.

Officials do not own the resources necessary for them to perform their assigned functions, but they are accountable for the use of those resources.Offices cannot be appropriated by their incumbents in the sense of property that can be inherited or sold.Official business is conducted on the basis of written documents.

[** Source: Economy and Society (1925)]

AUTHORITYAuthorityLegitimate power to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedienceassociated with social positions

PowerAbility to impose ones will onto anotherAssociated with personality

TYPES OF AUTHORITYRational-legal authority is based on rational rules legally or contractually established; characterized by bureaucraciesTraditional Authority is dominant type in pre-modern societies; characterized by monarchiesCharismatic authority rests on appeal of leader and is naturally unstable; characterized by Hitler

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