The Rationalization of Society: Max Weber on Domination, Law and the Rational State

In the third episode in my series about the rationalization of society, I will attend to another important manifestation of the rationalization process that Max Weber outlined: the rational state. What does it mean for states to be rational, and what is the relation between the rational state and liberal democracies? Let’s find out.

In this context, I will also explain and exemplify Weber's famous three types of legitimate domination, that will help us deepen our understanding of Weber's thinking.

References:

Hoyer, Katja (2021): Blood and Iron: The Rise and Fall of the German Empire 1871-1918. Cheltenham: The History Press.

Kershaw, Ian (2001 [1998]). Hitler. 1889-1936: Hubris. Penguin.

Weber, M. & Swedberg, R. (2020) Essays in Economic Sociology. 1st edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Weber, Max (2019): Economy & Society. A New Translation. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Weber, M. (1970 [1948]): From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology. Translated and edited by Gerth, H. H., & Mills, C. W. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.