SOC231H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Verstehen, Tradition, Sui Generis
Document Summary
167-198 (overview of weber; the protestant ethic and the spirit of. Weber defined sociology as a science which attempts the interpretive understanding of social action in order thereby to arrive at a causal explanation of its course and effects. Weber further specified social action: by virtue of the subjective meaning attached to it by the acting individual, it takes account of the behaviour of others and is thereby oriented in its course. Instrumental-rational action: action driven by a calculation of the advantages and disadvantages associated with possible means for efficiently pursuing one"s goals. It emphasizes how to accomplish one"s goals while suppressing the ethical question of why a given goal should be pursued. Example: under this category would fall calculating the wages and upward job mobility that could accompany a change in occupation. Value-rational action: behaviour driven by a value that is pursued as an end in itself, rather than as a means for pursuing an ulterior goal.
