Max Weber Contribution To Society

Max Weber is one name that is very well renowned amongst those associated with economics and social research. Max Weber was a German political economist and a philosopher and this theories had a profound impact on the society. His ideas and perspectives are still acknowledged as the basis of modern economics and social research. Max Weber is also acknowledged as one of the three founders of sociology.

Max Weber’s contributions to society mostly come from his ideas and theories in economics, bureaucracy, and politics. Weber introduced the concept of ‘marginalism’ which also explained the psychological response of an individual towards a stimuli. According to this theory, the marginal utility of a good declines with each use. This can also be explained using the example of food. The utility or satisfaction that the consumer derives from the first bite will always be higher for the consumer when compared to the last bite. This is because the consumer is hungrier at the start and the food satisfies the hunger. Towards the end, the consumer is not hungry and therefore the food may have very little value. This explains the psychological response of individuals towards a number of stimuli, and it also helps in determining economic policies.

More than his work in economics, Weber is famous for his contributions to sociology which started with his essay titled ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’. With this essay, Weber initiated a series of works in sociology in which he discovered a number of themes such as the impact of religious culture on the economic situation of a region. Weber drew comparisons between different European countries which had different religious cultures. According to him, the Protestant countries such as Germany and England had higher development in capitalism as compared to Catholic countries.

Weber also attempted to explain religious change over the centuries with the evolution in the society. According to him, when society was complex and involved different groups, there was polytheism; however as the society became more organized and the power became centralized, the religious inclinations moved towards monotheism. Weber encouraged rationalization and discouraged beliefs that were based on something that could not be rationally explained. His teachings and ideas became the basis of effective economic and social policies.

Thus, it can be concluded that Max Weber’s contributions to the society are immense as his ideas had a significant impact on the society. In absence of his theories and ideas, the society today would be entirely different.