Webers View on Modern Society

webers View on Modern SocietyDiscuss the Characteristics of Modern Society According to weberIntroductionWhat is cognise as classical sociology is found in the work of Comte, Durkheim, Marx and weber. weber and the other classicists attempted to explain the origins of modern industrial alliance and the elements that worked both for and against it. Like Comte and Durkheim Weber believed that scientific and technological advances would do away with humanitys need of religion. Old ideas of magic would disappear and the world would turn disenchanted and beau monde would become increasingly sagacious. Beginning with the distinction between rationality and rationalisation, his paper will discuss the characteristics of modern society according to Weber.Rationality and RationalisationRationality, in Webers thought refers to complaisant actions being the result of a rational process of the calculation of the means and ends of actions. Rationalisation on the other hand refers to an boil ers suit historical process whereby scientific knowlight-emitting diodege and rational action come to dominate social mankind (Morrison, 1995).1Modern Society and ConflictWeber is famous for his historical grasp of the political, effective, economic, and religious development of modern western societies (Morrison, 1995).2 He was concerned enlivened in issues of power and conflict in society, the different interest groups in society implied that state institutions were necessary if order was to be keep. As legislation increased, however, the administration would be less effective. He rejected Marxs materialist expectation of history and did not agree with Marx on the importance of class conflict. In Webers view class was just one type of inequality among many others (Giddens, 2001).3 Sociology, Weber believed, should concentrate more on social action and less on social structure. It was his contention that Marx had laid too much air on economics. Capitalism was only one fact or in the shaping of modern societies, Weber held that culture and politics deserved equal consideration. The inter-connectedness of social spheres, Weber believed, was a key factor for understanding the development of modern society (Marsh, 2000). According to Turner (1999) humanitys place in modern society was problematic for Weber beca usage he believed that human beings were alienated from themselves and the world in which they lived.Weber did not believe, as did Durkheim and Marx, that structures had an independent existence from individuals. Rather he maintained that structures were a result of a complex interplay of human action. Thus Weber argued that social change came about as the result of human motivation and ideas, and that these were properly agents of the transformation of societies (Giddens, 2001).Although Weber was an atheist he believed that religion influenced peoples ideas and practices and that this had an effect in the world. Weber did not believe, as did Marx , that capitalism came about as a result of greed. Nor did he agree with Marx that it was the result of class conflict, rather it was cod to an emphasis on science and the bureaucracy of large organisations. Weber argued that Protestants regarded earning a living as a sacred duty and financial success as a sign of Gods grace. It was this belief, Weber said that led to self-control and regulation, thus Protestantism contributed to the rationalisation of everyday life (Hughes, Martin and Sharrock, 1995). For Weber, a major facet of the development of modern societies was the rationalisation of production.RationalisationThe concept of rationalisation, according to Weber (1967) was endemic to modern society, and it was to be found in all large organisations. Such organisations are tightly regulated and predictability and impersonality are their defining characteristics. The members of large organisations chiffonier become dehumanised, because with in it, social relations are defined p urely in functional terms. Bureaucracy grew out of the increasing rationalisation, which, in modern society, bear upon all areas of life. As society continued in its rational progression then this would become evident in its social institutions which would, in turn, become more formal. This process would also lead to a decrease in peoples reliance on traditional beliefs, and an increase in the making of rational decisions that had a direct purpose.(Hughes, Martin and Sharrock, 1995). Weber believed that religion predisposed people to order their lives in terms of rational action and this meant that they earned more than they needed. Turner (1999) maintains thatThis nervous strain for world mastery did not lead however to a satisfaction with the meaningfulness of everyday life, but rather resulted in a continuing disenchantment with reality which drove out moral significance from everyday life (Turner, 19999).Religious and moral disenchantment, Weber contended, would be the end res ult of increasing bureaucratisation and the rationalisation of social relations. He termed the increasing rationalisation and bureaucratisation of western society as an iron cage (Turner, 1999). The impact of western society on the rest of the world was due to its command of industrial resources and its superior military power (Giddens, 2001). Modern societies, in Webers view, were especially characterised by what he termed the development of rational/legal authority.Authority in Modern SocietyWeber believed that authority was invested in the state, the source of the nation state, he maintained was the pre-capitalistic conflicts between absolutist rulers. Weber favoured capitalist democracies rather than socialism and believed that in order to maintain a balance in the amount of authority the state had, it was necessary to have a whole private sector. He also believed that increasing rationalisation and bureaucratisation would have a deleterious effect on democracy. Authority, he m aintained was in the hands of legitimate types of individuals and thus he developed a theory of ideal types as a means of understanding the world. These should be seen as a reference check rather than having an existence in the real world (Giddens, 2001). Thus the type of society identify by Weber as modern society is identified most especially by the development of rationalisation and bureaucratisation. The ideal type is used to form an ideal picture of a shift occurring in society by reason of certain historical factors (Weber, quoted in Brown, 1995 p. 271). Weber used the notion of ideal types to develop an understanding of the kinds of activities that can be assigned as features of empirical reality.ConclusionWebers work has been influential in sociologys understanding of the defining features of modern society. Webers thinking on rationalisation and bureaucratisation have been a expedient analytic tool for those attempting to understand modern societies. However, he has been criticised for being too determininistic. The rise of science, for example, has not completely taken over from religious belief as Weber predicted it would and his notion of bureaucratic organisations as iron cages neglects the fact the very often people will use bureaucracies to stem the tide of certain rules and regulations rather than be totally constricted within the organisation. Nevertheless Webers analysis continues to be a useful and fascinating analysis of the development of modern industrial societies. In addition to this his work on human choice and action were pivotal to the development exemplary interactionism and interpretative social research.BibliographyBrown, K 1995. Marx, Durkheim, Weber Formations of Modern Social Thought London, Sage.Giddens, A. 2001. Sociology. Cambridge, Polity sign up.Hamilton, M 1995 Sociology of Religion London, RoutledgeHughes, J. Martin, P. and Sharrock, W. 1995 Understanding Classical Sociology Marx, Weber, Durkheim. Sage, LondonTurne r, B. 1999. Classical Sociology. Sage.LondonWalsh, I ed. 2000 Sociology Making Sense of Society. Edinburgh, Prentice Hall.Weber, M 1967 The Social Psychology of World Religions in Gerth, H and Wright-Mills , C. 1967 eds From Max Weber Essays in Sociology New York, Oxford University Press pp.267-3011Footnotes1 See Morrison page 2202 See Morrison page 2133 See Giddens page 673