WEBER SOC SCI Flashcards
How does Weber deployed his notion of a social scientist to cope with the essentially ‘infinite’ nature of historical data
finding a ‘middle way’ between scientific objectivity and ‘limitless relativism’
what does his ‘middle way’ involve
the grouping of historical phenomena into ‘ideal types’
of both a ‘universal’ nature relating to the sociological aspect of his enquiry, and the uniquely schematic presentations of complex historical phenomena which dubs him the ‘scientist’
he rejects the ??? nature of ‘traditional’ historical enquiry
irresoluble
of ‘value-judgements’ being discussed in ‘scientific terms’
how does W reject the irresolvable nature of traditional enquiry
investigates the relations between values and presents the question to the ‘specialist’ to determine a more ultimate judgement
what type of enquirer is W
interdisciplinary enquirer of ‘nomological knowledge’ through the lens of ‘ideal types’
Weber understands that ‘empirical science cannot tell someone what he ought to do…
but only what he can do and - possibly - what he wants to do”, and this is translated into his central condition of corresponding to the ‘real situation’ at the present time
Through social science he pursues historical events in an anti-determinist way absent from???
‘from a set of historical conditions’ and proceeds to investigate a ‘science of reality’ in a dialectic methodological approach…
IN HIS AXIOM OF SPECIALISATION DISCUSSED MOST PROM IN SCI {WISSENS} AS A VOCATION
primary concern with?
present phenomena, which he explains through his understanding of modern Kultur – or the modern scheme of ‘plural’ values - described in The Protestant Ethic
NOTION OF A SOC SCI ARGUMENT
uses the notion of a social scientist to strengthen his understanding of modern Kultur through the lens of ‘ideal types’ in a schematic break down of the past, which becomes his methodological solution to the problems of the ‘infinity’ of historical fact
value scheme in G at time he writes
pluralised
National unity was not synonymous with unification of 1871
W’s values reflect those of G body politic
both his ‘values’ as an individual reflected those of the German body politic – that of ‘insoluble value-plurality’
what does W’s values mean for his academic/hist enquiry
might begin with value-commitment, but it cannot ‘end with it’, nor be judged definitely by it
uses notion of a SS to pursues a T?
he uses his notion of a social scientist to pursue a truth which was ‘absolutely heterogenous’ with the generation of values which embraced a ‘plurality’
Act of ‘psychological renunciation’?
Weber himself describes as an ‘elementary duty of academic self control’
the relationship between a ‘value free’ Wissenschaft and ‘individual values’ was both
close and troubling
‘anarchy of values’
Troeltsch
fundamental to Weber’s approach, yet it is one that is conditioned by a ‘duty of self control’
W’s commitment to value freedom complied with what duty
duty to observe intellectual honesty and integrity’ (Rechtschaffenheit)
in PE he denounces what?
methodically denounces ‘logical consequences’ from the evaluative position, and uses Wissenschaft not to ‘prescribe one’s values’ but to present relations between values to ‘tell them only how to think’
NOT SECULAR?
that historical understanding can ‘only become comprehensible if we understand the connection of these dogmas with practical religious interests’
BUT ‘religious interests’ have to be discovered in the ?
psychological drives [Antriebe] which led people to behave in a certain way’, thus free of definite ‘values’ which ‘superficial to the theological scholar’.
‘ideal type’ reveal history in its most? form
PE - ‘most logically consistent form’
WHY THE importance of presenting religious ideas as ‘ideal types’, which become his method? PE
‘for precisely because of the impossibility of drawing clear boundaries in historical reality, we can only hope to arrive at the specific effects of these ideas by examining their most consistent form’ PE
importance of presenting religious ideas as ‘ideal types’ SCI AS VOC?
‘middle way’ between scientific objectivity and ‘limitless relativism’
W on Wissenschaft?
Wissenschaft cannot dictate what one’s values should be, and the role of Wissenschaft must be to “enable the listener to discover the vantage point from which he can judge the matter in the light of his own ultimate ideals”… ONLY B ACHIEVED THRU IDEAL TYPES - discuss each christian sect
imp of ideal types 4 relig/pol judgement
Part of presenting the ‘ideal type’ is to avoid promoting or denigrating the political – or here – religious ideas
SCIENTIFIC IMPARTIALITY
ideal types for facts
use of ‘ideal types’ serves to ‘intellectually order facts’…
avoids the ‘harmful’ evaluative argumentation of conclusive ideals and judgement
W conception of Wissenschaft is also sculpted by the notion of specialisation which he describes as essential to achieve
empirical nomological knowledge - crucial for validity?
‘a really definitive and valuable achievement is always the product of specialisation’. -he provides the material as interdisciplinary enquirer from universal historical database
utilises specialisation as a social scientist to give awareness of
‘both sides of the equation’ as he pursues an interdisciplinary approach and this becomes his Beruf.
SPEC 2 - SPEC FLAWS
both ‘essential and inadequate’
‘inexhaustible multiplicity that lies within any historical phenomenon’
how combat spec flaws
Weber focuses on ‘social specialisation’ within The Protestant Ethic
involves discussing the ‘peculiar results’ that result from historical situation which must look at ethical principles, reflective of the transformed ethical standing of modernity experiencing ‘a loss of unitary perspective’
In The Protestant Ethic he clarifies that the fundamental ethical prescription of the modern day is not that of, for instance, New Testament ethics such as ‘love thy neighbour’ BUT?!
loyalty to one’s profession
secular ethic of modern values has disconnected from the bonds of religious doctrine, such as
Luther’s concept of the calling – yet he does not make a definite judgement and instead invites the judgements of specialists to make further judgement
The Protestant Ethic becomes an intellectual response to (SPEC)
the faults of specialisation, exemplified in Science as a Vocation
SCI AS VOC Q ABT SPECIALIST
‘the best we can hope for is to provide the expert with useful questions of the sort that he may not easily discover for himself from his own vantage point’
To ‘let the facts speak for themselves’, he argues, is
‘dishonest’ – and he provides a middle-way between presenting the facts and providing the next stages to which a solely empirical approach cannot extend
Weber’s approach suspends in a limbo between 1!
1!the demand of the teacher that he have the intellectual integrity to state facts, to determine logical relations or the internal cultural values’
Weber’s approach suspends in a limbo between 2!
2!‘to answer questions on the value of culture and its individual contents’
Weber conveys an empirical-grounded reality whilst
communicating between different Kultur maintaining ‘value freedom’ through bringing the historical ‘given reality’ into the entire sphere of empirical nomological knowledge
Weber recognises that his work will ? as a historian of the ‘broad’ sense
“inevitably remain highly imperfect”
but scientific approach ensures … neither descriptive nor prescriptive
duty as a non-specialist?
intellectually inform those with highly specialised knowledge to consider phenomena they might have otherwise overlooked by virtue of their ‘narrow’ approach… broader model of ‘ideal types’ allow him to do so
notion as Social sci to combat (infi)
the problems of the infinity of facts and the perils of philosophies of history
infi - he rejects
‘vulgar Marxism’ and the theorists of the ‘base’ and ‘ideological superstructure’, striking a middle way between such and the impenetrable ‘infinity of facts’
vs the the philosophies of history and intellectual schemes which organise history
Weber creates a historiographic method which is ‘intelligent and intelligible’ GHOSH WHY SWREADMWTODAY?, as a historian in the ‘broad sense’ …
In this way he does not limit interpretations of history, which are characteristic of historical philosophies
he investigates the past not for its own sake but
to seek lessons, particularly on values, for modern day – although he is no determinist
seeking lessons on values = imp 4
his approach, as both he and his historical works are characterised by an increasing plurality of values in the place of a universal value scheme
motivated to explain the present, and explain ‘modern Kultur’ by understanding the past through a neutral lens that does not lean towards ‘narrow’ philosophies
To ‘explain history properly’ he embraces …
an optimistic syncretism, a result from relativism of developmental history
by avoiding philosophies / solely social/ emotional? approach 1
enables his reader to ignore theoretical implications and consequently eludes both the histories and subsequent interpretations from ‘dangerous’ value standards
by avoiding philosophies / solely social/ emotional? approach 2
he promotes that ‘we ourselves must be able to create that meaning’, unlike the ‘fate of a cultural epoch that has been eaten from the tree of knowledge’ – for ‘we cannot read off the meaning of events in this world from the results’ OBJECTIVITY OF KNOWL IN SOC SCI
Weber uses his notion as a social scientist to offer histories that work scientifically in the sense that they seek truth with
an intellectual ordering of empirical and not theoretical reality, which offers the means for an ultimate judgement to be made by others.
APPROACH compatible with the present… understood as 1 of
‘individually constructed meaning, which must however function within an agreed social context’…
through an exploration of the past Weber promotes an understanding of the central characteristics of present phenomena which can be understood in terms of their previous history
APPROACH compatible with the present… with focus primarily on the present and to decipher KULTUR
EXAMPLES
changes in behaviours and developments that have development from the past that are not ‘rational’ or of ‘industrial organisation’
‘separation of business from the household which completely dominated modern life’, and the growth of ‘commercialization… which is connected to it
SOC SCI ON BEHAVIOURS … his ‘individually constructed meaning’
proposes in an anti-determinist way that such developments could be ‘identical with the restraint, or at least rational tempering of irrational impulse’
how he is not conclusive
‘individually constructed meaning’ which ‘functions with an agreed social context’
another e.g. of individually constructed meaning can = be accepted/disputed
his creation his term ‘ascetic Protestantism’, referring to the religious social context of the ‘deviated form of traditional sacramental religion’
ascet prot involves
‘the highest form of moral obligation of the individual is to fulfil his duty in worldly affairs’
In coining a term for this form of Protestant attitude and action (Social sci) and proposing its agency in the development of ‘the spirit of modern capitalism’
Weber is deploying a methodological device which offers an ‘individual’ meaning for historical development, specifically on the present
+ves of he understands it could be “inevitably remain highly imperfect”
example of an applied ‘individual meaning’ which he encourages to his academic audience in order to extract historical meaning which possesses importance for the present, even if on an individual bases and backed by empirical investigation
enquiry SUM
historical enquiry from universal, historical databases to which he and others can select material and ‘meaning’ in the form of ‘ideal types’ in order to explain the present day. This becomes his principal task - and product- as a social scientist
Weber’s notion of a social scientist can be understood by his three main principles that fit into his Wissenschaft encouraging one
‘how to think’, deviating from prescriptive and descriptive historiographical approaches
1st develop of WISSENSCH
anarchy of values’, in which he presents ‘ideal types’ that allows one to extract an individual meaning from empirical history, reflective of the increased plurality of German values
2nd develop of WISSENSCH
specialisation, and how it should be used. For Weber, he provided the historical material through ‘ideal types’ to which the ‘specialist’ could utilise to think about history outside the ‘narrow sense’. He acknowledged the necessity of specialisation in the loss of a ‘unitary perspective’, yet it was his ‘duty’ to provide a ‘broad’ historical enquiry to aid others to reconsider how to avoid the limits of theoretical and philosophical ‘specialised’ histories
3rd develop of WISSENSCH
use the notion of social science to explain present Kultur, and he becomes a presentist social scientist in this way - his intellectual response to modern value-plurality which explains using the past in an interdisciplinary approach, albeit ‘imperfect’ in nature and motive
The Protestant Ethic thus becomes a prime example of his quest to understand modernity in an ‘individualised’/alternate/debatable yet entirely scientific and empirical way
both valid and imperfect, as he anticipates alternative vantage points
ABOVE ALL
uses his notion of a social scientist to understand modern Kultur through ‘ideal types’ which are informed by his interdisciplinary historical enquiry – and this is his ‘moral’ Beruf
