Max Weber

Life

• Born: April 21, 1864, in Erfurt, Prussia (now Germany)
• Education: Earned doctorate in law from University of Berlin (1889), habilitation in 1891
• Career: Professor at universities of Freiburg, Heidelberg, Munich; co-founder of German Sociological Association (1909)
• Key Periods: Nervous breakdown (1897-1902), prolific writing phase (1903-1920)
• Died: June 14, 1920, in Munich, Germany

People Who Influenced Their Thought

• Karl Marx: Weber engaged critically with Marxist theories of capitalism
• Immanuel Kant: Influenced his epistemology and ethics
• Friedrich Nietzsche: Shaped his views on power and morality
• Heinrich Rickert: Neo-Kantian philosopher who influenced Weber's methodology

Main Ideas and Publications

• The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905): Linked Protestantism to rise of modern capitalism
• Economy and Society (1922): Foundational text of sociology
• Ideal Types: Methodological tool for social analysis
• Bureaucracy Theory: Analysis of rational-legal authority
• Social Action Theory: Focus on meaningful individual actions

Controversies

• Protestant Ethic Thesis: Critics challenged his causal claims about religion and capitalism
• Value-Free Sociology: Debate over whether social science can/should be value-neutral
• Rationalization Theory: Seen as overly pessimistic about modern society

Key People Influenced by Their Thought

• Jürgen Habermas: Built on Weber's rationalization theory
• Talcott Parsons: Translated Weber and incorporated his ideas into structural functionalism
• C. Wright Mills: Adapted Weber's power analysis
• Michel Foucault: Engaged with Weber's theories of power and rationality

Legacy

Max Weber fundamentally shaped modern sociology through his theories of social action, bureaucracy, and the relationship between religion and economics, while establishing key methodological approaches for social sciences.