Synopses & Reviews
To grasp Weber's research program, to penetrate to the intellectual core of his methodological writings, has always been the aspiration of all those affected by Weber's thought. Since his death, repeated efforts have been made to establish the definitive approach to his work and his life. The studies in this volume are dedicated to presenting at least one unified approach to little-understood aspects of Weber's research program. Taking the overall development of Weber's work into account, Schluchter reconstructs Weber's research program from a comprehensive point of view that balances historical research and systematic thought with a biographical perspective.
For Schluchter, Weber's studies in the sociology of religion and politics provide a psychological as well as sociological analysis of Weltanschauungen. Aimed at comparing and explaining the ultimate possible stances toward the world that humanity has taken and the modes of life conduct connected to them, Weber's studies must also be viewed as an attempt to locate one's own stance toward the world within the history of humanity and, by means of reflection, to obtain critical distance from it.
Synopsis
"Publication of this material in English should be a major event in American Weber studies. Together with
Economy and Society, Weber's comparative studies in the sociology of religion represent not only his own central contribution to theoretical sociology, but also one of the most ambitious and fruitful research programs in the history of modern social theory. Schluchter analyzes both of these projects and shows how they are related. There is nothing in the Anglo-American literature on Weber's sociology of religion that can match the rigor and thoroughness of these essays. They should raise the standards of scholarly debate concerning both the general theoretical significance and the details of Weber's sociology of religion."Guy Oakes, Monmouth University
"There is next to nothing in the field of Weber interpretation that reaches the superior grasp and breadth of knowledge displayed in these essays. Exciting and illuminating, they should be essential reading for anyone interested in comparative religion and domination."Thomas Burger, Southern Illinois University
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 473-582) and index
About the Author
Wolfgang Schluchter is Professor of Sociology at Heidelberg University, the author of The Rise of Western Rationalism: Max Weber's Developmental History (California, 1981), and co-author, with Guenther Roth, of Max Weber's Vision of History (California, 1979).