Max Weber

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Introduction
“Certainly, all historical experience confirms the truth - that man would not have attained the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible” (Quotes, 2016). Although today, Max Weber is now considered to be predominately a sociologist, his early career held interests in mostly history, though his “scholarship ranged across jurisprudence, political science, economics, sociology, comparative religion, the philosophy of history, and the histories of several nations and half a dozen civilizations, both ancient and modern” (Coser, 1970). An intellect in my areas, Weber is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the field of sociology. Throughout his sociological research and works, Weber’s focus …show more content…

“His father, Max, pursued a dual career, as head of the Berlin building department and as a National Liberal representative in the Reichstag and the Prussian Parliament” (Radkau, 2013). His mother, Helen, “did volunteer work for relief of the poor” (Radkau, 2013) and raised eight children, with Max being the oldest. Conflict between Weber’s mother and father due to their differing lifestyles and religious beliefs has been said to have influenced Weber’s intellectual and psychological development. Weber’s mother was a devout Calvinist, and her husband’s social life caused a distance between the two as Max enjoyed earthly pleasure and Helene sought to lead an ascetic life. Helen was concerned with the imperfections she saw in her life. These imperfections, she believed, were signs that she was not destined for salvation (Ritzer & Stepnisky, 2013). Upon the death of two of her children, Helene entered a long period where she struggled with her grief. Her husband disdained at her prolonged grief which only lead to an increasing strain between the husband and wife. Requiring absolute obedience from his wife and children, Weber’s father structured his home in a traditional authoritarian manner. “It is thought that this bleak home environment, marked by conflicts between Weber’s parents, contributed to the inner agonies that haunted Weber in his adult life” (Mitzman, …show more content…

There he studied law, philosophy, history, and economics before leaving to serve a year in the military at Strassburg. During his time in the military, Weber became involved with the family of his mother’s sister, Ida Baumgarten, and her husband, historian Hermann Baumgarten. It is said that Weber’s father found this relationship troublemaking, and requested his son return to finish his studies in Berlin. Weber began his studies at the University of Berlin in 1884 while living with his parents. During this time, Weber was financially dependent on his father, which he disliked. This would place a great amount of tension between the father and son. It was during this time that Weber became closer to his mother, adopting her ascetic lifestyle and rigid work habits. After passing the bar in 1886 and gaining his Ph.D. in 1889, Weber gained his first position in the academic world. He married a distant cousin, Marianne Schnitger, in 1893 and in 1894 Weber gained a temporary teaching position at Freiburg University teaching jurisprudence. His temporary position became a permanent one, when he became a full professor in 1895, teaching political economy at Freidburg. He then returned to Heidelberg to teach political economy in 1896, also as a full

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