exam 3 soc 300

Discuss the Calvinists' rationalization of everyday life

every hour lost is lost to labour for the glory of God. the puritan ethic not only affirmed the idea of work as a calling it also denounced time spent not in work but in leisure as sinful departing as it does from the command to glorify God through work. the recreation necessary for physical efficiency but as a means of spontaneous expression of undisciplined impulses, it was under suspicion and in so far it became purely a means of enjoyment or awakened pride raw instincts or the the irrational gambling instinct it was of course strictly condemned. deliberate, planful, methodical focus, into everyday life their cultural legacy was "the rationalization of conduct within this world the daily routine of life with methodicalness. Calvinism was the expansion of capitalism. Calvinist religious beliefs in particular predestination and attendant concerns about salvation in the next world and the rationalization of those beliefs through activity in this world led to the harnessing of a disciplined work ethic to the accumulation of capital.

discuss the relationship between political structures and force.

every political structures naturally prefers to have weak rather than strong neighbors. and as witnessed since the collapse of the soviet union when weak states have strong neighbors, they build economic, defensive, and cultural bridges with other strong neighbors.

discuss the main features of bureaucratic organization.

formal organizational structure characterized by rational, legal authority, hierarchy, expertise, and and impersonal rules and procedures.

Discuss Weber's concept of class

he uses the word class to denote individuals shared economic situation individuals who have similar economic interest and asset and who have similar life chances as a result of property, income, and labor market opportunity. four types the working class as a whole (laborers), the petty bourgeoisie (self-employed farmers, grocers, and craftsmen), the property-less intelligentsia and specialist (white collars employees, civil servants), and the classes privileged through property and education.

Discuss Weber's metaphor of the "iron cage".

highlighted the historical role of religious values in capitalist expansion, his conclusion about modern-day capitalism was that it had lost its religious, ethical foundations. he believed it was no longer driven by non-material values but as marx argued by economic interest. rather than making work our calling, our vocation, the demands of capitalist society have become so all-pervasive and controlling that we are coerced into fulfilling the rational cost-benefit expectations of the capitalist marketplace. constituting an "iron cage" of economic and technological determinism we make decision based on a calculating methodological assessment of the opportunities and alternatives available in terms of their "marginal utility".

What is an ideal type?

ideal types are basically yardstick just as we use yardsticks to measure and compare the length of different physical objects we can use ideal types to describe and compare different social phenomenon by accentuating the difference between them. ideal types are a useful way of orienting sociological research as we seek to explain the array of social action and the diverse social relationships that compromise society. thus Protestantism in its ideal typical form has characteristics that are different to Buddhism or islam and each of these religious has different consequences for everyday social action. the ideal typically concept will help to develop our skill in imputation in research.

What is the dialect of the Enlightenment?

instead of the progress promised by the enlightenment understanding of science and progress we have its opposite control and domination rather than freedom and equality. science/technology harnessed to economic profits and to the control of society and of nature.

What is instrumental rational action?

is a strategic cost-benefit action we are interested in achieving a particular, rationally calculated goal or end and we asses the most effective means to achieve that end among the options available. action is instrumentally rational when the end the means and the secondary results are all rationally taken into account and weighed. captures the calculating means-end behavior that individuals, organizations, and societies engage in when they make cost-benefit decision about a course of action whose planned outcome is intended to benefit the actor making the decision.

What is charismatic authority?

non-rational authority, can co-exist alongside legal rational and traditional. resides in the individual personal grace/charm charismatic personality. the charismatic individual persuades people to do things had authority over them. charismatic community unified by members shared emotional attachment to the charismatic leader.

What is public sphere?

public relatively informal spaces and non-state-controlled institutional setting where individual and groups freely assemble and discuss political and social issues produces "public opinion"

Outline the main argument of Max Weber in regards to the method of the social sciences.

scientific tools and data do not help us rank priorities regarding what topics merit scientific investigation which projects should be funded with federal money and who should benefit from scientific discovery. science does not ask for the answers to such questions and we should not expect it to. scientific no matter how well qualified and distinguished they are as scientific expertise to answer society's questions about what is meaningful worthwhile or morally right.

What is technological determinism?

the assumption that the use of a particular technology is determined by feature of the technology itself rather than by the dominant economic, political, and cultural interest in society.

Discuss the main features of the asceticism of early Protestants?

the disciplined imposition of a frugality and sobriety regarding the wealth accumulated through hard work. this contrasted with material acquisition in pre-industrial eras, which was driven by individuals' basic survival needs, and also differed from the greed of adventurers and and pirates.

What is value rationality?

the great discoveries of science regarding brain cancer, stem cells, genetic engineering, life on mars do not give any hint as to what we should do with them.

What is communicative action?

the idea that social action should be determined by a rationally argued consensus driven by rationally argued ethical norms rather than strategic partisan interest.

Discuss the relationship between mass media and culture industry.

the media content produces by the technologically sophisticated profit-driven culture industry and gave it a searing through perhaps overly pessimistic critique. although the early decades of television saw a corporate commitment to edifying the public keeping viewers well informed about politics and world event and providing them with entertainment that would elevate rather than dumb down their intellectual and cultural interest and their psychological understanding of the human condition this aim has been increasingly displaced by a concern with corporate profit margins. culture today is infecting everything with sameness.

Is the Protestant Ethic well and alive in contemporary United States?

the more time you spend doing useful things, the more productive you are and the more money you make. according to Weber "time is money". The earning of money within the expression of virtue and proficiency in calling duty in a calling, is what is most characteristic of the social ethic of capitalistic culture. it is an obligation which the individual is suppose to feel and does feel towards the content of his professional activity.

What is normative rationality?

the norms H & A argue should came from the Enlightenment's understanding of reason ans progress as an emancipatory force we should thus employ a normative rationality and asses the extent to which we use reason for descriptive and controlling purpose rather than to advance the norms of social equality and human flourishing.

Explain Weber's theory of social stratification.

the process in society which determines individuals objective location in a hierarchical system of social class or strata based on their differential access to resources. unlike non-economic resources namely social status and political power create and maintain class inequality.

Compare and contrast Weber and Durkheim on the nature of scientific objectivity.

the professional ethic of the scientist while individuals have our own value values and passions we do not and should not let them impose on the conduct of our research as Weber states "nothing is worthy of man as man unless he can pursue it with passionate devotion. Durkheim also emphasizes sociological objectivity but Weber's understanding or much more contextual. recall that Weber defined sociology as a science concerning itself with the interpretive understanding of subjectively meaningful social action. the objectivity he proposes therefore requires the sociologist to investigate and understand the subjective meanings appreciation of the cultural and historical context.

Discuss the characteristics of a charismatic figure.

the significance of third type of legitimization or domination in society the non-rational authority that derives from charisma that special charm that gives an individual power over others. when charismatic authority is present it always and only resides in a particular individual. groups and organizations do not have charisma leaders may and hence may be able to expand or consolidate the organization's. charismatic authority is an attribute of an individuals personality we acknowledge this anytime we comment that someone is a natural or form leader.

what are the features of the nation-state?

the states ability to impose its will despite resistance comes from its unique power: the nation state is legally entitled to engage in violence against other states and against other states and against individuals and groups within its borders. First, he defines the nation-state primarily in terms of its legal-political territory and structure thus shared ethnic roots, language or cultural sentiments are not sufficient to constitute a nation. second he underscores the specific means or instruments which are peculiar to the state namely legal violence. the state uses physical violence to defend itself against threats to its security that come both from within the state and from other states and other entities.

What are the main arguments of critical theory?

the use of reason to critique the ways in which reasoned critical thought is suppressed in culture and in institutional practices. Reason used to dominate rather than to liberate individual/ groups. highlight the irrational character of the established rationality

What kind of authority do most religious organizations use?

traditional authority it is personal loyalty to an estate lord or master or to a community elder or religious leader and loyalty to the estate's or community's traditions, which secure individual obedience and compliance. authority will be called traditional its legitimacy is claimed for it and believed in by virtue of the sanctity of age-old rules and powers. the masters are designated according to traditional rules and are obeyed because of their traditional status.

Discuss the most important features of the Enlightenment.

use if science to advance social progress these value have been replaced with a technical ethos that uses science for strategic rather than normative gains. Technological rationality use of science and technology to expand instrumental domination

Discuss the nature of distorted communication.

ways in which current economic and political arrangement and cultural assumption impede communicative rationality. they distort the possibilities for communicative rationality.

What are the main features of an ideal speech situation?

when communication partners use reason to seek a common understanding of a question at issue and to embark on rationally justified, mutually agreed future actions. a theoretically imagined context in which participants use reason not to dominate or bully one another but to seek to reach a common understanding of the question at issue and pf plans for mutually agrees future action.

what is legitimacy crisis?

when national or other collectivism lose trust in the ability of the state to adequately respond to major systemic disruptions in the execution of institutional task

Why did Weber study early Protestants?

"a glance occupational statistics of any country of mixed religious composition brings to light with remarkable frequency... the fact that business leaders and owners of capital, as well as higher grades of skilled labour and even more the higher technically and commercially trained personnel of modern enterprises, are overwhelmingly protestant. he acknowledge that the over-representation of protestant in industry and business may have been due to historical circumstances favoring.

What are the central arguments in Jon Calvin's theological doctrine?

Calvin disagreed with Luther about God directly giving grace to the lowly individual. Calvin instead postulated the doctrine of predestination- the belief that the individual's salvation was already predetermined, predestined by God. in other words at birth, your salvation whether you are going heaven or hell is already known to God and no matter how you live your life, no matter how many good works you do or how much you seek God's grace, you can do nothing to affect your after-life destiny. in its extreme inhumanity this doctrine must above all had one consequence for the life of generation which surrendered to its magnificent consistency. That was a feeling of unprecedented inner loneliness of the single individual.

What are the main feature of critical theory?

Frankfurt school critique of the one sided strategic use for reason in democratic capitalist societies to advance economic political and cultural power and suppress critique of social institutions and social process rather than increase freedom social equality and democratic participation.

What is social action, according to Max Weber?

Many diverse motivators or sources of social action. Meaningful action can be rational or non-rational. There are four ideal types which are made of two types of rational action and two types of non-rational action. One ideal type of social action is value-rational action. It occurs when an individual or a group or organization or whole society values some idea, or belief such that they decide to rationally act on that value to demonstrate their commitment to that value regardless of the costs of that action to them. Instrumental rational action in contrast of value rational action it is strategic cost-benefit action we are interested in achieving a particular a particular regionally calculated goal or end and we assess the most effective means to achieve that end among the options available. Emotional action is subjectively meaningful, non-rational social action motivated by feelings. Traditional action is non-rational subjectively meaningful social action motivated by custom and habit.

Discuss Max Weber theory of power, authority, and domination.

Power is the "probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance. Domination or authority is the probability that certain specific commands will obey by a given group of persons. Domination may be based on the most the most diverse motives of compliance. The modern society is typically legal authority based on norms grounded in a society collective and intentionally established impersonal force of law and imposed by ruling organizations. Feudal societies and other traditional societies and communities are characterized by traditional authority where it is personal loyalty to an estate lord or master or to a community elder or religious leader and loyalty to the estates or community traditions which secure individual obedience and compliance.

Explain in detail Max Weber's argument in his The Protestant Ethic and the spirit of Capitalism.

The relationship between them he wrote about the probes this-worldly and other worldly. This-orderly concerned that orient economic activity, material acquisition and wealth where as other-worldly concerned of religious belief. He acknowledged that the over representation of Protestants. In industry and business may have been due to historical circumstances favoring them. Catholics tend to opt for non business occupations and among the skilled workers tend to remain in crafts rather than pursue clerical or skilled employment in newly established factories.

How does social prestige manifest itself in traditional societies?

Weber emphasizes that statues that status and prestige are not solely determined by economic by economic class, even though the costly fees entitled in admission to exclusive housing developments and prestigious colleges and country clubs points to the close relations between economic class and social status. a person might have a lot of wealth but little prestige or honor in the community perhaps because the individuals family "pedigree" is less "pure" than that of others- his or her wealth might be "new" rather than accumulated over many family generations.

How do Karl Marx and Max Weber resemble and differ in their study of social stratification?

Weber wrote about the inequality or social stratification the process in society which determine individuals objective location in a hierarchal system of social classes or strata based on their differential access to resources unlike Marx weber focused not just on economic resources but also on how non-economic resources namely social status and political power create and maintain class inequality. Weber used the word class to denote individuals shared economic situation individuals who have similar economic interest and assets and who have similar life chances as a result of property, whereas Marx had two dichotomously opposed classes them capital owners and wage workers.

Discuss the behavior of early Calvinists?

as a God-fearing believer faced with the nagging question "am i one of the elect?" was to convince himself or herself of his or her salvation and to justify that conviction through intense activity in the world-glorifying God in everyday activity specifically as the Biblical proverb instructs through diligence in business. the god of Calvinism demanded of his believers not single good works but a life of good works.

give an example of bureaucratic rationality from contemporary US social order

bureaucratic organizations is also evident across all domains of daily life in economic corporations churches, universities and non-profit organizations dentist, doctors, and lawyers offices and professional sports teams. the bureaucracies that many of us might encounter on a given day include most immediately the university as well as the federal government.

What is administered society?

bureaucratic-state regulation and control diminishing the political autonomy of individuals and public sphere

What is politically dependency?

dependence of citizen on the state to resolve problems and crisis created by and large by the state and economic institutions.

What is technological rationality?

detached from the reasoned commitment to norms of social equality. thus it is not that H & A are opposed to rationality but they want us to evaluate the goals to which science and technology progress removed from commitment to broader social values is driven by a technological rationality the use of technology to expand the instrumental domination of individual of individuals and group across all spheres of society as well as of the natural environment.