M3: Weber Flashcards
What is Weber’s solution to the problem of method
- verstehen
- he rejects naturalism
What should sociology study?
- It should study what is unique to humans
- subjective meanings individuals attach to their own behaviour in everyday life
What does Weber mean by subjective?
-subjective means the meaning to the actor
How do we understand subjective meaning?
-by studying the intentions, purposes, motives of acting individuals
What does Weber argue about the natural sciences vs. the social sciences?
- they have different subject matter
- generate different kinds of knowledge
What subject matter do the natural and social sciences deal with?
- physical or natural events and objects
- human action, where action is defined in terms of subjective meaning
- sociology studies social action
What type of knowledge do the natural and social sciences generate?
Natural: -universal, unalterable laws of nature Social sciences: -historical products Regardless, according to Weber sociology is a science
What three things does Weber accept all sciences involve?
- search for truth
- verification of knowledge through observation
- objectivity
What is a problem with Weber’s own argument that sociology is a science and what solution does Weber provide?
- problem of objectivity
- value-free sociology is his solution
If Weber wants value-free sociology how does he select a sociological concept?
-he allows for values to enter into the selection process
In what way does Weber believe sociology to be a science?
-sociology can use the procedures of natural sciences and produce causal explanations
When Weber says, “interpretive understanding of social action,” what does he mean by interpretive understanding?
-he is saying that verstehen is the solution to the problem of method
How do sociologists arrive at an interpretive understanding of social action?
-they have to use techniques of interpretation that are replicable and verifiable
Two methods:
-direct understanding
-explanatory understanding
What is a direct (observational) understanding?
- understand the meaning of an action through direct observation
- 2 x 2 =4 and ones facial expressions to deduce their angry
What is an explanatory understanding?
- identify a motivational link between the observed activity and the meaning to the actor through understanding motives, intentions and purposes of actor
- type of causal explanation
What is the criteria for adequate causal explanation?
- subjective adequacy
- causal adequacy
What is subjective adequacy?
- adequate on the level of meaning
- subjective meaning is explained in terms of the meaning assigned by the actor
- criterion is conformity to habitual modes of thought and feelings
What is causal adequacy?
- criterion for this is predicting from knowledge and experience that something will follow something else in society (this is the same as Durkheim)
- “somethings” means meaningful actions (Weber’s twist)
Why does Weber use both subjective and causal adequacy as criteria for an adequate causal explanation?
He is trying to integrate two contradictory views of the nature of social sciences:
- anti-naturalists demand for interpretive understanding of subjective meaning
- naturalist demand for causal explanation
What is Weber’s solution to the problem of agency?
- micro-macro linkage
- “there is no such thing as a collective personality that acts…collectivities must be treated solely as the resultants and modes of organization of the particular acts of particular persons.”
Can macro extremism go with verstehen?
No
What is the point of the book the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism?
- sets out Weber’s explanation of the origins of modern capitalism which differ from Marx’s explanation
- ask the question: why did modern capitalism emerge in Western Europe rather than in one of the other great civilizations?
What are ideal types?
- methodological tools for the scientific study of human societies
- analytical concepts constructed by social scientists to capture essential features of a social phenomenon
- one sided exaggerations of what goes on in the real world
What are ideals types useful for?
-useful in empirical research
What was Weber’s point of departure for his book?
-a well documented statistical fact that there is a positive relationship between being protestant and being economically successful in modern capitalist societies
How does Weber explain the statistical fact?
- assesses the content of modern capitalism and protestantism
- documents influence of Protestantism on the economic behaviour of believers
What is the spirit of capitalism (the defining characteristics of modern capitalism)?
-the orientation to economic activity that involves accumulation of wealth for its own sake rather than for what it can buy
Why do individuals accumulate wealth without pleasure in modern capitalism?
-protestant ethic and calvinism
What does the Protestant ethic say (ideal type)?
- the highest form of moral obligation is to fulfill ones duty in worldly affairs
- high religious value on economic activity
- labour is positive and only becomes negative when it supports an idle lifestyle
Why does Calvinism place a high religious value on economic activity?
- according to Calvinism, working in a calling is the task set by God
- every hour lost is an hour lost to labour for the glory of God
What does Weber use to construct his ideal type of the Protestant ethic?
-only looks at and exaggerates economic behaviour under Calvinism
What do calvinists believe according to Weber?
- universe exists for the glory of god
- God’s motives are beyond human comprehension
- Predestination
What is predestination?
- only a small number of believers are chosen for eternal salvation
- whether an individual is saved or not is an immutable fact ordained by God at conception
- nobody knows if they are one of the elect except Calvin
What is a result from all other believes under Calvinism except Calvin not knowing if they are being saved ?
- all other believers face unprecedented loneliness
- under this loneliness the spirit of capitalism is born
What is the logical response to predestination?
-fatalism: a belief that events are predetermined and human beings are powerless to change things
Do calvinists follow the logical response to predestination?
- No
- they adopt attitudes and practices that are inconsistent with their theological beliefs
- they look for external signs of salvation and try to live a life that would yield these signs
What was an external indicator of someone being saved?
-accumulation of wealth for the pleasures it could buy was sinful however, to accumulate wealth and save it as the fruits of ones labour was a sign of the elect
Overtime, what practices of Calvinists resulted in modern capitalism?
- it was obligatory to regard oneself as chosen
- and you demonstrated your status of chosen through wealth
- thus, the origins of the spirit of capitalism are found in the protestant ethic
What is the motivation of the spirit of capitalism and the protestant ethic?
They are not the same thing but channel economic behaviour in the same direction:
Spirit:
-solely motivated towards money as end in itself
Protestant ethic:
-oriented solely towards salvation
What is one of the causes of the rise of modern capitalism?
-Protestant ethic
Does Weber view the relationship between religion and economics the same way Marx does?
- No
- Weber says religion is not merely a reflection of economic conditions however, economic conditions are important in the rise of modern capitalism
- Marx argues the only causes of capitalism are economic causes
What does Weber argue change is?
-change is causal not deterministic
What is the most important factor in the rise of modern capitalism in Western Europe?
Protestant ethic
Is the protestant ethic necessary for the maintenance of modern capitalism?
- No
- because modern individuals are forced to work in a calling whereas before they wanted to work in a calling because of religious beliefs
- thus, no Calvinists are not needed to maintain modern capitalism it maintains itself
What is one of the central themes unique to Western civilization as used by Weber?
-rationalization
What does rationalization involve?
- impersonality
- refinement of techniques of calculation
- enhanced importance of specialized knowledge
- extension of technically rational control
What is impersonality?
- depersonalization of social relationships
- example is bureaucracy because the importance is in the position not the people
What is the refinement of techniques of calculation?
-techniques for counting
What does it mean to have an enhanced importance of specialized knowledge?
-to act rationally we act on knowledge
What are the consequences of the rationality characteristic of modern Western civilizations?
-there is a distinction between formal rationality and substantive rationality
What is the spirit of capitalism (not definition)?
- an ideal type
- unique to modern capitalism
