Week 4 - Weber

Weber

  • One of the “big three” classical sociologists

    • along with Marx and Durkheim

  • Writing during the era of specialization of labor and industrialization

The Spirit of Capitalism

  • Opposing framework to Marx

    • Links between economy and religion that can be studied as interdependent.

    • Weber: religion can influence economic behavior and social organization without being reducible to the economy; the relationship can run in multiple directions (not merely subordination of religion to material conditions).

  • Empirical observation - historically in modern capitalism, it was protestants that dominated in business

    • protestant societies tend to be wealthier

    • Why? - protestants tend to move into the new ways of working

  • Puzzle 1: What underlying religious-cultural beliefs in Protestantism initiated differences in religious and social structures?

    • Why did Protestant societies (in Weber’s historical frame) tend toward different economic and social outcomes than Catholic societies?

    • Answer: protestant work ethic

  • Puzzle 2: To what extent is the modern spirit of capitalism characterized by asceticism?

    • How does asceticism (self-denial, frugality, restraint in the pursuit of wealth) translate into a social engine for capital accumulation?

    • Answer: in denying yourself things, you have more resources to give back to capitalism

  • History of Protestantism

    • Martin Luther was upset by the Catholic Church amassing money at the expense of it’s people

    • Lutheranism brings about a different meaning of work

      • All work, performed legally, is holy work. It can be just as holy as being a priest or an alter boy.

    • Calvinism

      • Luther’s successor

      • Relevant point: Predestination. You can’t change your path.

        • You don’t turn to the church or god for salvation, as the decision is already made.

          • Weber noticed that there was still an social order despite this, people were so racked with anxiety and wanted to know the answer. People are proving their salvation by starting businesses and when they are successful, it proves that they are one of the “chosen” ones and will go to heaven. Not a means of salvation, but a sign of salvation.

  • Protestant Work Ethic

    • Main ideas:

      • Work is no longer punishment.

      • All work is holy.

      • When you are rewarded in a capitalist society, that is evidence that “you will stand before kings in the afterlife”.

    • This work ethic is why societies with more protestants are wealthier.

    • All of these changes happened with the Protestant reform, but it is so ingrained in our culture that it is no longer tied to religion. Catholics and Atheists are now still likely to idealize hard work.

  • Work Ethic → Industrial Revolution

    • This ethic turned to a societal norm to accumulate money and life a frugal lifestyle.

    • This allows people to reinvest back into capitalism which leads to the development of factories and infrastructure.

    • Which causes the industrial revolution.

  • Iron Cage of Rationality

    • Weber’s metaphor for how people in modern society become confined by individual rules and pressures to act in strategically rational ways, leading to a loss of personal freedom, creativity, and meaningful social connection.

    • People in these positions have to make a “strategically rational” decision ultimately comes down to money.

      • ex: have to fire people because you can’t afford to keep them on, make environmentally harmful choices because it’s the cheapest option.

    • Significance: institutional rationality limits autonomy and causes depersonalization.

      • “sorry, it’s just business”

    • Tradition can overrule money

- Bureaucratic Machine

  • Bureaucracy

    • organizational structure of a group of people

    • metaphor = like a chest of drawers

  • Principles

    • super efficient

    • stable

      • the organization exists even if a person is replaced

        • relates to impersonality

    • hierarchical chain of command

      • oversight over others

        • multiple bosses = repetition

      • decision making is authoritated by roles

    • established procedure

      • strict record keeping

      • formalized rules

    • impersonality

      • it’s not about the individual relationships with a person but the rules established by the organization

  • Double edged sword

    • can be so rational that it can turn irrational

      • inflexible instead of efficient

      • rules and divided labor can get in the way of the goals

  • Governments take on this type of organization

- The Types of Legitimate Domination

  • Power vs. Authority

    • power: ability to make one’s will prevail in a social relationship. can be done through force or persuasion.

    • authority: power regarded as legitimate

  • Ideal types of legitimate domination

    • Legal-rational authority: obedience is owed to a system of legally enacted rules and formal positions of authority those rules create. The command commands that are obeyed happen because they're grounded in impersonal laws and bureaucratic offices.

    • Traditional authority: legitimacy rests on long standing customs, established beliefs in the sanctity of traditions, and then personal loyalty to those who inherit or occupy positions by custom or tradition. The obedience is directed at a person because of their role within a tradition.

    • Charismatic authority: based on exceptional qualities or heroism of an individual leader or some kind of influential person. Obedience is given to the charismatic leader because of personal trust and belief in their extraordinary qualities or their missions.

  • Reason:

    • creates social order