Methodology of Social Sciences / Edition 1

by Max Weber, Edward Shils, Henry Finch, Alan Sica

Overview

Edited and with a new introduction by Robert J. Antonio and Alan Sica.

Max Weber wrote these methodological essays in the closest intimacy with actual research and against a background of constant and intensive meditation on substantive problems in the theory and strategy of the social sciences. They were written between 1903 and 1917, the most productive of Max Weber's life, when he was working on his studies in the sociology of religion and Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft.

Weber had done important work in economic and legal history and had taught economic theory. On the basis of original investigations, he had acquired a specialist's knowledge of the details of German economic and social structure. His always vital concern for the political prosperity of Germany among the nations thrust him deeply into discussion of political ideals and programs.

Weber's methodology still holds interest for us. Some of its shortcomings, from the contemporary viewpoint, may be attributed to the fact that some of the methodological problems that he treated could not be satisfactorily resolved prior to certain actual developments in research technique. These few qualifications aside, the work remains a pioneering work in large scale social research, from one of the field's masters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412813198
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/30/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Edward Shils (1910-1995) was distinguished service professor in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. His books include Tradition, The Intellectuals and the Powers, and Toward a General Theory of Action. Edward Shils (1910-1995) was distinguished service professor in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. His books include Tradition, The Intellectuals and the Powers, and Toward a General Theory of Action. Robert J. Antonio is professor of sociology at the University of Kansas. He is the editor of A Marx-Weber Dialogue and Marx and Modernity. He has published essays about Weber, critical theory, and other topics in social theory in the American Journal of Sociology, the American Sociological Review, and many other journals.

Alan Sica is a professor of sociology and founding director of the Social Thought Program at Pennsylvania State University, former editor of Sociological Theory and Contemporary Sociology, and author or editor of several books.

Max Weber (1864-1920) was one of the founders of contemporary social science and arguably the greatest influence on the evolution of sociology—its theory and historical linkages. His work focused on the areas of the history and theology of religion, political systems, and organizational theory and behavior. He studied at the University of Heidelberg followed by the University of Berlin. After completing his advanced studies, he became professor of economics first at Freiburg University and then at the University of Heidelberg.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Transaction Edition
Foreword, Edward A. Shils
I. The Meaning of "Ethical Neutrality" in Sociology and Economics
II. "Objectivity" in Social Science and Social Policy
III. Critical Studies in the Logic of the Cultural Sciences
Name Index
Subject Index