Weber And Weber's Theory Of Rationalization

According to Weber, rationalization is a heritage of the Protestant ethic. This mindset means that the concern for salvation is articulated in everyday life in Protestant societies in the form of the rational pursuit of economic gains. However, this evolved into something that did not work well with traditional notions of salvation, so it became more secular in its nature. This meant that in modern day terms, rationalization is the imposition of more nuanced or vaunted emotions, traditions, behaviors and so on with rational ones. For example, someone who foregoes an art degree even if they are an artistic genius so they can major in accounting is engaging in rationalization.

2. Mutual orientation (Edwards) – Edwards’ concept of mutual orientation

Rationalization is an extreme form of pragmatism. Darcy interestingly observes that what Turkle describes in her book is really an extension of Weber’s theory in terms of the rationalization of personal relationships. That is, rationalization has finally begun to extend beyond actions in the individual and now exists between people. Rationalization is a kind of extreme way of looking at personal choices in terms of making them as efficient as possible. Within the Protestant ethic outlined by Weber, rationalization is in some way a form of self-abnegation and punishment, because it so often involves denying natural impulses in favor of what is

Mutual orientation is something of a process of convenience, and it reflects synergies at many different levels. Mutual orientation means that most technology stories are at their core the same story. It means that most technological endeavors have involved trying to outsource or rationalize different tasks.

More holistically, mutual orientation means that most people have similar goals or desires in interactions with technology. It means that most people want to engage in interactions that make them feel better. Mutual orientation means that whether a corporation, the government, or the military is funding a particular technological endeavor, the same dynamics apply on every level.

Whether on the meso-scale, the macro-scale, or micro-scale, mutual orientation reveals the same story. On the meso level, humans’ desire for interpersonal relationship reveals a desire to achieve permanence in these relationships without the unknowability and unpredictable nature of humans. The macro shows the large shift towards robotic or screen-based relationships as a function of corporate desires to monetize this impulse. Finally, the micro level shows that it is just one technology story in a history of