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The Basic Tools Of Sociology And Sociology

Decent Essays

Argument:
In this piece, Weber outlines the basic tools of sociology and distinguishes sociology as a social science. Weber’s main message in this piece is that that social sciences should be equivalent to natural sciences, and in order to do so, laws should be made within the field. Secondly, he wanted to bring history and sociology together with causal relationships, in doing so he would also analyze the individual’s social action. He mentions that action is only social when it is oriented to the behaviour of others.

Quotations:
“Action in the sense of a subjectively understandable orientation of behaviour exists only as the behaviour of one or more individual human beings” (pg. 284).

This is Weber’s ninth mythological foundation. In this quote, Weber argues that studying the individual, as a complex bio-chemical reaction/collection of cells is interesting, but does not lead to subjective understandings. Rather, action relates to how an actor attaches subjective meaning to his/her behavior and it is “social” to the extent that its subjective meaning takes account of the behavior of others.

Weber then goes on to describe the three important relations for the subjective interpretation of action

1. Thinking on simpler levels will not lead to subjective understandings.

2. Social collectivities must be treated as modes of organization resulting from actions of individuals.

3. Weber leads away from the “organic” school of sociology. Organic sociology focuses on the

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