Max Weber
Science widens knowledge but does not say how we should live: the world has become "disenchanted".
Life
Max Weber (1864-1920), born in Erfurt, was a German sociologist, economist and jurist, one of the founders of sociology. He studied the link between religion, economy and society, and the rationalisation of modern life. He spoke of a "disenchantment of the world": science widens knowledge but does not tell us how to live. In his lectures of 1917-1919 he defended an ethic of responsibility in politics.
Main works
Links the Protestant ethic with the rise of the spirit of modern capitalism (articles of 1904-1905).
Lecture: science cannot say which values to choose; the world is "disenchanted" (given in 1917).
Lecture: politics requires passion, a sense of proportion and an ethic of responsibility.
In his own words
« It is the fate of our times, with its own rationalisation and intellectualisation and above all the disenchantment of the world, that the ultimate and most sublime values have withdrawn from public life, either into the otherworldly realm of mystical life or into the brotherliness of direct relations among individuals. »
Es ist das Schicksal unserer Zeit, mit der ihr eigenen Rationalisierung und Intellektualisierung, vor allem: Entzauberung der Welt, daß gerade die letzten und sublimsten Werte zurückgetreten sind aus der Öffentlichkeit, entweder in das hinterweltliche Reich mystischen Lebens oder in die Brüderlichkeit unmittelbarer Beziehungen der einzelnen zueinander.
« Politics means a strong, slow drilling through hard boards, with passion and a sense of proportion at the same time. »
Die Politik bedeutet ein starkes langsames Bohren von harten Brettern mit Leidenschaft und Augenmaß zugleich.
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceHe contrasts an ethic of conviction (acting on principle) with an ethic of responsibility (answering for the consequences of one's acts) and asks for a balance between them.
Weber, Politics as a Vocation (1919)
Science cannot show which ultimate values are right; they rest on personal commitment, and different values stay in conflict.
Weber, Science as a Vocation (lecture 1917, published 1919)
Science cannot tell us how we should live or what gives life meaning; each person must find that meaning elsewhere.
Weber, Science as a Vocation (lecture 1917, published 1919)