preview

Process Of Replacing Traditional And Emotional Thought With Reason And Practicality

Decent Essays

Rationalization is the process of replacing traditional and emotional thought with reason and practicality. Weber believed that most societies throughout history were governed by tradition and that the most significant trend in modern sociology is an increasing rationalization of every part of our daily lives. The rise of scientific study, the development of capitalism, and the introduction of bureaucracy into the government over the last 200 years or so are all large examples of this trend. Substantive rationality is a type of decision making which is subject to values and an appeal to ethical norms. It does not take into account the nature of outcomes. (Ritzer) Formal rationality is a type of decision making which is subject to calculation that goes into an action to increase its chances of success. Its decisive feature is that it eliminates an orientation to values because they are non-technical. Rationality is formal when problems are solved by the application of technical criteria. (Ritzer) Weber argues that formal rationality had replaced substantive rationality because bureaucracy stresses a technical orientation to means and ends. Weber says that formal rationality started to develop when capitalistic organizations appeared. He also thought rationality was necessary for organizations to operate efficiently and that rationality would become a part of all areas of society. He was also concerned that this could cause control over individuals and cause people to lose

Get Access