Max Weber
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Max Weber (1864-1920) was a German sociologist, economist, political scientist, and writer. One of Weber's main interests was developing a methodology for social science. His works had a considerable influence on 20th-century sociologists. He devised the concept of "ideal types," generalized models of historical situations that could be used as a basis for comparing societies. He opposed the orthodox Marxian view of the time that economics was the primary determining factor in social causation, and instead stressed the plurality and interdependence of causes. Weber emphasized the role of religious values, ideologies, and charismatic leaders in shaping societies. In his most famous work, Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism he developed a thesis concerning the connection between the ascetic ideal fostered by Calvinism and the rise of capitalist institutions.
Weber viewed the Reformation as a critical period in European history that saw a reorientation of basic cultural frameworks of spiritual direction and human outlook, destined to have a great impact on economic life as well as other aspects of modern culture. Weber tended to view Protestant rationalism as one further step in the series of stages of increasing rationalization of every area of modern society.
