Lecture Notes for Sep 29, 2009

Max Weber -Weber's perspective: micro level -How a number of individuals interact w/ others and how that interaction leads to/ makes up society. - Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism = book written by Max Weber -Marxist mechanical reductionist= reduced complexity of society; only direct cause of racism, feminism... -says capitalism is direct cause of all problems [Weber argued against this theory ^] -1960's- people/scholars in western America thought this was democracy -after 1970's peple constructed Marxology: found that between thought of behavior, thought of feelings and thought of actions are from a framed society. -people came out of Feudalism and into Capitalism because of mechanical reductionist idea (tools, means of production and this changed people's ideas, thoughts, and behavior) [start from land and build to level of industry --> Weber agrees but considers religion as another factor] -Protestant says --> there is no heirachy; every one can relate to god by themselves (people go to pope, pope talks for/thru god, and tells the person....when theres no hierachy theres no middle man) -interactionist perspective= one individual interacting with anohter individual. -rationality= concept of everything being planned/ punctual. (Weber) -"iron cage"of rationality=Weber saw bureaucracies as cages with people trapped in them, denied of their basic humanity. -McDonaldization= process by which society takes on characters of fast food resturants (efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control).