Max Weber

Maximilian Weber (April 21, 1864 – June 14, 1920) was a German political economist and sociologist who is considered one of the founders of the modern, antipositivistic study of sociology and public administration. His major works deal with rationalization in sociology of religion and government, but he also wrote much in the field of economics. His most recognized work is his essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, which began his work in the sociology of religion. Weber argued that religion was one of the primary reasons for the different ways the cultures of the Occident and the Orient have developed. In his other famous work, Politics as a Vocation, Weber defined the state as an entity which possesses a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force, a definition that became pivotal to the study of modern Western political science. His theory later became widely known as Weber's Thesis.

Attacks from conservatives

Despite, or perhaps because of, Weber's influence on modern economics and sociology, aspects of his work have been criticized.

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During his own lifetime, Weber was critical of the neoclassical economic approaches of authors such as Carl Menger and Friedrich von Weiser, whose formal approach was quite different from his own historical sociology. The work of these authors eventually led to the creation of the Austrian School of economics, and it is not surprising that today those influenced by that school continue to take issue with Weber's work. This includes followers of Friedrich von Hayek and, more recently, authors Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw. In their pro-globalization book The Commanding Heights, they attack Weber for claiming that only Protestantism could lead to a work ethic, pointing to the "Tiger Economies" of Southeastern Asia. On the other hand, Ludwig von Mises, Hayek's teacher and a key figure in the Austrian School, was sympathetic to Weber's work; and another of Mises's pupils, the philosopher Alfred Schutz, was substantially influenced by Weber at least as much as by Austrian School thought.

Related Topics:
Carl Menger - Friedrich von Weiser - Austrian School - Friedrich von Hayek - Daniel Yergin - Joseph Stanislaw - The Commanding Heights - Tiger Economies - Ludwig von Mises - Alfred Schutz

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Similarly, Weber's 'Protestant Ethic' thesis has been criticized by many historians of the period. In his biography of Benjamin Franklin, for instance, Walter Isaacson dismissed Weber's work on the Protestant ethic as a "Marxist" argument despite Weber's criticism of many of Marx's ideas.

Related Topics:
Benjamin Franklin - Walter Isaacson

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