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Sociological theories: from the classical period to the present

Max Weber
interpretive sociology, rationalization, bureaucracy

1864-ÿ1920

(1) multicausality;
(2) historical and local specificity (comparative research)
(3) scholarship.
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Some eternal definitions of Weber

layering Force Country

Class, status, party "Power is the probability that one player "The state is an association that claims

Within social relations will be in a position for a monopoly on the legitimate use

to fulfill his will despite opposition violently"

Of others"

Yagshum Sisev

Meaning, action, motive, causality, social relations, interest, custom, order, legitimacy, authority, association, organization,
secularization, rationality, bureaucracy,
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interpretive sociology (of meaning)

Weber Max, 1979 "General definitions of social action and social relations", in On
charisma and the construction of institutions: a selection of writings. Y. L. Magnes, pages 1-5

"Sociology is a science that tries to understand an interpretive understanding (verstehen) (the social action in order to
arrive at a causal explanation of its course and results" (1)

Social action: an action that, thanks to the subjective meaning attributed to it by the acting individual(s), takes into
account the behavior of others and is directed accordingly (1). But that subjective
sense is not accidental, but socially determined...

Hence, social structure is a common pattern of giving meaning which creates a common pattern of social action.

In other words, the social structure shapes the rationality, or the subjectivity, of individuals. [This is in contrast
to Marx's focus on the means and relations of production (technology and class) and Durkheim's on moral norms]
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Structures
modernism
Designing the meaning
A process of rationalization of the meanings

social relations

social action

exorcism
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rationalization

The historical process in which man increases his control over natural and social reality by scientific observation,

calculation and action that effectively matches means to ends.

• Scientific observation of nature, which seeks to base knowledge on experience and systematic measurement;

• Rational planning, logical and observation-based technical calculations, and methodical conduct in accordance with rational rules

with the aim of controlling the results of social action by matching means to ends;

• Secularization and the "removal of magic from the world": the liberation of thought from belief in magic and supernatural powers.

Rationalization as the essence of the transition to modernity

Hitzzinardum = Hitzilneuzer
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Capitalism = the institutionalization of rational economic action

Double entry accounting

Explaining the rise of capitalism through

the question: What explains the process
of rationalization of economic activity?

Rational accounting

The rationalization of the economy is not necessary

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What is capitalism, how did it arise, and what does this say about the nature of social change?
Weber, Max. (1905) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

The research

question : Why did modern capitalism grow only in the West, and in certain countries more than others?

Discounts

Capitalism = "the pursuit of continuously renewed profit (permanent profitability) through a rational
capitalist permanent enterprise, and by
peaceful means." The spirit of capitalism = a belief that legitimizes the pursuit of capitalist profits, and enables
the development of the personality type of the capitalist subject.

A central claim

Capitalism grew out of a cultural phenomenon, Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation (1517), which gave birth to
a new Christian religion. This religion, whose theology connected a man's success in his profession with the
service of God [pre-destination; asceticism], evolved over the generations in the spirit of capitalism (through
secularization and rationalization
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quotes

"The religious appreciation for diligent, methodical, vigorous labor in the worldly trade as the highest ascetic
means and as the clear and tested proof of the sincerity of one's faith and the "rebirth" of man inevitably acted
as a lever of unparalleled power for the spread of that outlook on life that we have called the spirit of capitalism." (85)

The Puritan view [Protestant trend] "which in all conditions encouraged the tendency to an economically
rational bourgeois lifestyle. She was the most important [and consistent] active force in the development
of this way of life." (86)

"Since the asceticism set out to change the world and fulfill its vision within it, the control of the material assets
of this world over the lives of human beings increased and increased until it reached a power unmatched in
the annals of history. Now her spirit blossomed - for an hour or forever, who knows?" (89-90)
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Weber's theory of social change

1. Cultural factors, ideals, such as ethical beliefs about what is legitimate and what is not, what is proper and what is
improper, can shape the historical development of societies.

We must observe "the uniqueness of modern Western rationalism and insist on its emergence. The fundamental importance of
the economic factor requires that any such attempt first of all consider the economic conditions. However, one should not be
distracted from the opposite causal relationship either, just as the emergence of economic rationalism depends mainly on the
existence of rational technique and rational law, so it depends on the fitness and willingness of human beings to adapt certain
patterns of rational practical behavior to themselves" (8

2. Multiple factors, cultural and non-cultural, simultaneously shape the historical development.
Capitalism rose due to a combination of circumstances, one of which was the Reformation.

History is shaped by "the interplay of innumerable historical systems... which should not be pushed into any economic law, and
are not even explained at all from an economic point of view" (42)
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The two-way relationship between material and ideological factors

3. Unintended results: The rise of capitalism did not result from the conscious intention of the founders
of the Protestant religion, but was an unintended result of their theological work.

4. History is not predetermined (determinism). Neither the reformation nor capitalism arose as a "necessity".
historical development" (in Marx's words).

"Of course, we do not intend to propose a spiritual causal explanation, which is also one-sided, instead of a one-sided
materialistic interpretation of culture and history. Both are equally possible. But both of them, if they do not serve as
preparatory work for research but pretend to be its conclusion, will not be of much use for the study of historical truth" (90)

Historical development is unpredictable, circumstantial, and multi-causal. It is the result of different trends that
interweave each other in a random way.
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Bureaucracy - the foundations of organizational sociology

The bureaucratic administration = institution = organizational model

Organization: " closed social relations or which limit the joining of outsiders, in which there are rules of
participation and action enforced by certain individuals: the managers" | Institutionalized collective action to
achieve defined goals.

Bureaucracy is the rationalization of the organization, the "technically superior" organizational model:
"The developed bureaucratic apparatus relates to other organizations just as the machine relates to non-
mechanical forms of production
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The bureaucracy — "ideal type"

1. Specialization: Division of work, responsibility and fixed authority between formally trained office bearers, who
operate according to precise plans.

2. Formal rules and regulations: a documented set of rules and regulations, which determine the rules of conduct and manner
the functioning of the organization.

3. Hierarchy of jobs: The jobs in the organization are organized hierarchically, which allows the exercise of authority throughout
The pyramid and defining subordination patterns.

4. Official correspondence: relying on official memos and reports, and not on random verbal communication.

5. Separating the role from identity and private life. An ethos of service. Impersonal relationships:
The bureaucracy is impersonal, every person is equal before it and it is based on fixed, scientific and universal laws.

Modern society = the society of bureaucratic organizations

"Everywhere the modern state goes through a process of bureaucratization"
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The rationalization of education and training (introduction to the sociology of professions)

Weber, Max. 1958. "The 'Rationalization' of Education and Training", in: Gerth HH
and C. Wright Mills (eds.), From Max Weber. Oxford University Press. pp. 240-241.

Modern bureaucratization produces the "personality type of the professional expert"

The educational institutions prepare the subjects for service in the bureaucratic organization
through special certification exams

The professional certificate entitles you to social prestige and access to positions. It also increases the status
of the holder of the certificate in the marriage hierarchy.

The certification processes create a privileged layer that guarantees itself a monopoly on
the bureaucratic office jobs.

"When we hear demands from all sides for special training and consent exams, the
reason for
" this is not, of course, a sudden awakening of a 'thirst for education', but
rather the monopolization of these positions by those with certification certificate

Since obtaining the certificate costs money and takes time, it duplicates the advantage of the
established classes and limits the importance of talent and charisma (meritocracy)
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Bureaucracy: Consequences

"the rational bureaucratic structure of domination"

1. The iron cage of rationality

"The modern economic order, subject to the technical and economic conditions of mechanized
production, determines the way of life of society today with an irresistible force. Not only of those
engaged in economic enrichment , but of all individuals who are placed from birth into this
mechanism - and perhaps it will continue to determine it until the last ton of mineral fuel in the
bowels of the earth ... spirit, heartless he

Marcuse

Adorno Horkheimer

Frankfurt School
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Bureaucracy: Consequences

2. The arbitrariness and absurdity of the rule of officials and experts (techno-cracy)

For example, the invention of secrecy...

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Bureaucracy: Consequences

3. The potential monstrosity of the bureaucracy

"The bureaucracy in itself is a precision instrument that can place itself at the disposal of
governmental interests, both purely political and purely economic, or of any other kind"

Practical/instrumental rationality vs. substantive rationality

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