Max Weber: An Intellectual BiographyMax Weber was one of the most influential and creative intellectual forces of the twentieth century. In his methodology of the social sciences, he both exposed the flaws and solidified the foundations of the German historical tradition. Throughout his life, he saw bureaucracy as a serious obstacle to cultural vitality but as an inescapable part of organizational rationality. And in his most famous essay, on the Protestant ethic, he uncovered the psychological underpinnings of capitalism and modern occupational life. This searching work offers the first comprehensive introduction to Weber's thought for students and newcomers. Fritz Ringer locates Weber in his historical context, relating his ideas to the controversies and politics of his day. Ringer also considers the importance of Weber to contemporary life, discussing his insights into the limits of scholarly research and the future of Western capitalist societies. Weber, Ringer reminds us, believed in democracy, liberalism, and fundamental human rights; his ethic of responsibility remains as vital to our historical moment as it was to his own. A concise and incisive look at the man and personality behind the thought, Max Weber is a masterful outing in intellectual biography and social theory. |
Contents
1 | |
7 | |
2 Webers Politics | 41 |
3 Webers Methodology | 77 |
4 The Protestant Ethic | 113 |
5 Webers Comparative Sociology of Religion | 143 |
6 From History to Sociology | 175 |
7 The City Capitalism Socialism and Bureaucracy | 203 |
8 Education Knowledge and Vocation | 225 |
A Man for Our Time | 251 |
Notes | 257 |
Bibliography | 269 |
Index | 281 |
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Common terms and phrases
according to Weber agrarian ascetic asceticism behavior believed Bildung Brahmins Buddhism bureaucracy burgher capitalism capitalist causal causal analysis cause charismatic charismatic authority commitment concepts Confucian contrast cultural democracy disciplines domination economic action Economy and Society empirical essay Ferdinand Tönnies formal rationality forms Georg Simmel German academic historians historical human Ibid ideal type individual intellectual interests interpretation irrational J. C. B. Mohr leader leadership democracy legal domination legal rationalism liberal magic mandarin Max Weber means medieval modern natural nomic norms objective officials organization oriented original Weber texts party patrimonial planned economy political position Protestant Ethic Protestantism Puritan purposively rational radical reality relationships religion religious Rickert role salvation sects sense significant Simmel singular causal Social Democratic social sciences sociology Sombart status substantive theodicy tion Tönnies tradition Tübingen ultimate universal vocation Weber argued Weber texts discussed Weber wrote Wissenschaft
References to this book
Building Workforce Competencies in Career and Technical Education Victor C. X. Wang,Kathleen P. King No preview available - 2009 |
Thinking about Causes: From Greek Philosophy to Modern Physics Peter K. Machamer,Gereon Wolters No preview available - 2007 |