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This short paper will focus on the studies and the beliefs that intellectuals such as Max Weber and John Maynard Keynes devoted their lives to. Theorists and sociologists alike have played a very important part of our everyday modern lives. There works and achievements have allowed us as a civilization to effectively understand how to properly communicate with our environment and society in unisons. The works of Max Weber and John Maynard Keynes have propelled our society and in turn, allowing us to learn and become adaptable to the changes that come with modernization. Accompanied alongside these advancements we have also gained a better understanding of rationality, economy, capitalism, bureaucratism, and how they all go hand in hand to keep our society up float. Examining how these different actions work together gives us a better sociological understanding and a deeper dive into what actions guide our everyday interactions.
Max Weber was a German sociologist. Weber devoted his life’s work to studying capitalism and bureaucracy (Mitzman 2020). He authored and published numerous works that range from politics, ethics, religion, and society. He taught us about social class, capitalism, and the iron cage which talks about being born into a certain environment and economic status. A well-known theory that he constructed was the bureaucratic theory, this theory explains how hierarchies work and how to properly organize processes to get the maximum output without falling victim to favoritism. A sentence that stood out to me came from one of Weber’s known works titled ‘The Spirit of Capitalism and the Iron Cage’ Weber talks about how Protestants and Catholics had different views when it came to working and earning wages (Weber, 2018). To me, that sentence was very powerful because it states that the spirit of capitalism is a method to want to work harder until success is achieved in a manner that could be different from everyone. Another well-known academic is John Maynard Keynes. John much like Max Weber had a purpose in life that was bigger than himself. Keynes was a British economist who devoted his works to study the economy and from a young age, he showed promising talent when examining economics and how it correlates with capitalism. John’s studies changed how we view the economy as a whole and its fundamental principles. On the other hand, Keynes shared in Weber’s beliefs as well by stating that capitalism is a functional process that allows workers to earn income. Throughout his works, John came up with a process called the Keynesian theory which states that the government should intervene when needed to aid the citizens and to help with the economy when a situation arises. Max and John believed and approved of capitalism, they believed that it aided the citizens in allowing for wages to be earned and in turn granting a stronger economy.
In regards to capitalism, rationality is also a big driver in everyday decision making and effectiveness. Weber states that rationality is when someone has control of his or her actions by producing ideas that correlate to that said action. Weber stated that not everything in life can be explained using rationalization (Weber, 2018). Keynes like Weber believes that people are human beings and that they can choose to either be rational or not rational (Keynes, 2018). He sheds light on that statement by stating that there is a collective rationality which is when someone follows a sept of steps that are abided by the masses. On the other hand, he says that people can also choose to have individual rationality, which means that an individual can choose the most effective way to his or her decisions. Ultimately it is up to the person to dictate how they wish to act on an idea, situation, and action.
When it comes to the consequences that arise from capitalism in correlation to using it as an acceptable means to modernity, Weber and Keynes believe that the good outweighs the bad in this situation. Effectively and correctly establishing capitalism aids the workers, citizens, company, and overall wellness of the economical margins. In fact, Weber says that attaining success is a process to attain eternal salvation and to have a fulfilling and successful life (Weber, 2018). So, when it comes to Weber and Keynes adopting capitalism will bring a new era of modernity and of advancements.
Weber goes on to state that rationalities are ideas and actions that go hand in hand to possess a perceived outcome. In regards to America and Americans as a whole, there are two different kinds of social actions in play that determine societal behaviors. The first action that Americans are exemplifying is called ‘goal rationality’. This particular action states that there is a specific idea or goal to be achieved that leads to a known result. An example of goal rationality is when someone purchases groceries intending to make dinner using the groceries. The second action is value rationality. This rationality is best described as the value that the action brings to the induvial in question. These rationalities when used properly allow a seamless relationship between an idea and an action. An example of this is when people are wanting to purchase the latest iPhone or latest device. This purchase then becomes valuable to the person but those individuals never take into consideration the future consequences such as e-waste and how that action is harmful to the environment around them.
In conclusion, social theories devise a path to understanding how people and the environment go together to achieve a better grasp of how society works as a whole. Max Weber and John Maynard Keynes achieve this by examining how different things such as religion, economy, and politics play a role in our everyday lives and without their works our society would not work as John and Max intended but in regards to our current political environment, I do ask myself if capitalism actually functions the way it was intended by Keynes and Weber?
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