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Max Weber  

"Not ideas, but material and ideal interests, directly govern men's conduct. Yet very frequently the 'world images' that have been created by 'ideas' have, like switchmen, determined the tracks along which action has been pushed by the dynamic of interest">  

What is Weber trying to Describe?  

Feudal Society
Traditional
Religion
Modern Society
Rationality
Science
What was his approach to this problem?  

He believed that ideas and beliefs mould social structures and other material conditions.
Compare this view with that of Karl Marx.
Weber was viewed as an Idealist, but this is an over simplified account of Weber?s viewpoint.
Weber?s Typology
Or a comprehensive list of meaning that individuals give to their actions across sociocultural systems.  

Technocratic thinking - action in which the means to attain a particular goal are rationally chosen.
Like an engineer building a bridge to cross a river.
Value Orientated Rationality - Striving for an irrational goal, pursued through rational means.
Going to University because you value the life of the mind.
Typology Continued  

Affective Action - Making a decision while in an emotional state rather than rational.
Going to University because your girlfriend goes there.
Traditional Action - Customary habits. Living in the eternal yesterday.
Going to University because people from your family always go to University
Of course Weber knew that we often make decisions under the influence of a mix of these emotions or goals  

Think about the 5 C?s in Singapore
Cash
Credit Card
Condominium
Car
Country Club
MONEY
So How do Societies Change?  

According to Max Weber, modern society was different from the traditional society because of a shift in motivation.
Modern society is characterized by the efficient application of MEANS to ENDS.
Other causes of social behaviour being eliminated in the process.
Weber & Marx  

While Marx proposed that is was a change in the material situation that caused the shift from traditional society to modern, Weber agreed that this was a contributing factor. But it was not the only contributing factor.
Max Weber believed that it was a change in the ideas and values that also precipitated the change.
Weber?s Ideal Types  

Think of ideas rather than ideals in the normal English usage.
It does not refer to ?Perfect?.
The ideal type never corresponds to a concrete reality.
It is a description to which we can compare reality to.
It is merely a theoretical construct.
Like Plato?s ?Forms?.

Max Weber continued...

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