Exam Review Notes

Weber's Interpretation of Weber

• Gideon's interpretation suggests Weber sees Calvinism giving religious significance, aligning with Protestantism and capitalism.

Key Concepts

• Colony and Electro Affinity: Remembered as important concepts.
• Conflict of Rationalities: Capitalist rationality and modern bureaucracies can conflict with other human values.

Practice Questions

• The best approach is often the process of elimination.
• Identify and eliminate obviously incorrect answers.

Weber vs. Marx

• Key Difference: Marx emphasizes class conflict.
• Focus on identifying the 'stupid answers' to find the correct one.

Spirit of Capitalism

• Not about innate human desire or free markets.
• Weber's research focused on reinvestment rather than luxury, particular to the Calvinists.

Substantive Rationality

• Focus on the word preceding "rationality" to understand the concept.
• Understanding the definition of "substantive" is crucial.

Catholics vs. Protestants (Calvinists)

• Key Difference: Work ethic and the concept of free will.
• Different economic behaviors and occupational choices.

Ideal Type (Weber)

• Definition: Simplified model or tool to understand society.

Exam Strategies

• Questions are designed to be straightforward.
• Carefully read each question and eliminate incorrect options.

Weber's Method

• Not about "all" or definitive statements.
• Focus on the development of theories.

Types of Action or Rationale (Weber)

• Examples: Goal, value, and tradition.
• Exclude options not discussed in class (e.g., reflective, structural).

Conditions for Rationalized Capitalism (Weber)

• Study the chart detailing necessary conditions.

Capitalistic Establishment

• Definition: A business that uses capital accounting to track profits.
• Involves rational calculation, bookkeeping, and accounting.

Capital Law

• Related to what is calculable, measurable, and predictable.

Collins Reading and Weber's Last Theory of Capitalism

• Refer to the Collins chart outlining what is needed for capitalism to exist.

Durkheim

• Collective conscience and individual conscience (relationship).

Mechanical Solidarity

• Does not thrive in large, modern, individualistic societies.

Organic Solidarity

• Focus on the six factors on the right-hand side of the chart.
• Not literate administrators or bureaucratic states, but people who can write claims (money), the weapons (militia to enforce society), and people gathered by some sort of belief system.

Restorative Law vs. Repressive Law

• Restorative Law: Aims to fix broken relationships, forgiving.
• Repressive Law: Severely punishes deviations to maintain conformity.

Characteristics of Organic Solidarity

• High division of labor (specialization).
• Individuals have different specializations and think differently.

Durkheim's Thoughts

• Starting point is society, not the individual.
• Societies have a collective consciousness.

Durkheim on Society

• Society exists before and will survive individuals.