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weber

weber WEBER & RELIGION: THE PROPHET MOTIVE! Weber was concerned to demonstrate, contrary to Marx's thought, that culture was not reducible to the economic aspect of a society. Weber insisted that culture was to be considered as an autonomous value-sphere of any society. We might define such a value-sphere as; "..a distinct realm of activity which has its own inherent dignity and in which certain values, norms, obligations are inherent." (Brubaker:1983) Not only is this value-sphere of culture autonomous but, for Weber, it has the ability to construct forms of economic activity! For Weber, culture is seen as an agent in the production and maintenance of social relations. For whilst culture is based upon choice, value and action- and thus subjective and volatile - it produces real material effects. Clearly Weber is turning Marx on his head! We can, and will demonstrate this below with regard to Weber's `Protestant Ethic' thesis. But this thesis of Weber's is in fact only a part of a wider historical dynamic process suggested by Weber. This historical process is driven by an interaction between charismatic individuals and a (creeping?) process of rationalisation. Influenced by Nietzsche, the German philosopher, Weber was interested in the existence and distribution of charisma in society. Charismatic individuals were seen as the driving force behind social groups and collectives. Three points should be noted with regard to Weber's use of the concept of charisma. First that it is not every individual who can take on the role of the `charismatic' leader. Only exceptional individuals. Thus `charisma' produces status stratification. Secondly, charisma is not, for Weber, an innate or intrinsic quality of this individual. On the contrary, charisma is created and sustained by the loyalty and indeed devotion of the of others members of society. It is in this sense that we must understand charisma to be based upon a set of social relationships. Relationships of authority and legitimacy. Finally, charismatic authority arises in periods of social unrest and change and thus depends not only on the existence of this `exceptional' individual but a social context which produces large numbers of individuals who are `disenchanted' with the present social institutions. Charisma, is in Weber's view ` a great revolutionary force' for social change. Charismatic movements always seek to dismantle or overthrow existing/traditional forms of authority and power. Finally, Weber suggests charismatic authority as inherently unstable since it is usually based upon a `personality cult' of the leader. When the leader dies then the movement will `die' with him/her or ossify and institutionalise itself into what Weber refers to as `the charisma of office': bureaucracy! Look at Fig. 1, (at the bottom of page 2 of this document) which I have taken and adapted from Bryan Turner's book. To understand the historical process we will need to begin with the `magician' and move `clockwise' towards `secular man'. We begin with the earliest form of society. Hunter-gatherer societies which were organised on the basis of kinship and lived in collectives of clans or tribes. The belief-systems of these peoples were, says Weber, based upon magic. Thus the magician (or wizard/shaman/witch) is the first to appear chronologically in human history. S/he relies upon the power of magic which Weber defines conventionally as the belief that spirits reside in animate objects and potions. Magic, for Weber, is directed toward the immediate environment of the clan or tribe. Thus magic is a local form of belief. Each clan/tribe would possess its own, very particular and locally based culture which would be distinct to the cultures of other clans/tribes. The beliefs and knowledges of these peoples would be (practically) directed towards their immediate environment. Magic will be based upon the immediate, the particular and the personal. Weber suggests that the typical forms of social action in such a society are affectual, based upon emotions and traditional, based upon local knowledges of elders as well as magicians. Equally the power of the magician is a personal power. S/he is only as as `good' as their last `spell'! Human culture at this stage is local and specific to the tribe/clan. Social action at this time, insists Weber, is based primarily on emotional or affectual social action. These societies are in no way 'bureaucratic' or 'organisational'. As we move clockwise we are introduced to the prophet. We also move to societies which are now organised around social institutions such as the state. These societies are also more hierarchically organised into classes and social groups. The prophet is in part similar to the magician. They like the magician will base their claims to leadership on their own personal properties of charisma. Thus, for example, they will make claims of the type: `I am the chosen one' or `I am the son of god' . However, if we consider further that last example we can see an important distinction between the prophet and the magician. For whilst the magician's claim is centred around the local and the immediate environment of the clan or tribe, this is not the basis of the claim for the prophet. The prophet puts forward a `universal doctrine'. Such a doctrine is universal in the sense that, unlike the doctrine of magic, which is local and particular to a tribe/clan, the universal doctrine claims to speak to, and for all peoples. Notice that the claim 'I am the son of god' appeals to an abstraction; god. An abstraction is always general and global not particular and local. Such universal doctrines are the basis of the World Religions of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. All such religions are World religions because they claim to speak and order the whole world. It is at this point in human history, says Weber, that the rationalisation of social and cultural life really begins. The dominant form of belief is now religion and not magic and this rationalisation involves: 1. The hope of salvation shifts from the immediate material world to a `world' yet to come: Heaven or Valhalla etc.. 2. The tension in each individual between how they want the world to be and how it actually is becomes heightened. Especially in terms of the inner-life, the soul, of individuals. 3. A system of morality. How to act towards nature and towards other human beings. For example: `The Ten Commandments'. Each religion devises a system of Ethics. Thus religions produce value-orientations for the culture and society. Weber never understates the power of the prophet. Not only has the prophet the necessary charisma but s/he uses this to `rationalise' the world. But it is the charisma that acts as: `..the great revolutionary force.' In terms of his `types' of social action. Religion utilises and advances the third value-rational form. Here the action is motivated by a higher ideal such as god. But the prophets' intentions and motives are thwarted! Bibliography:

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