"Understanding sociology" by M. Weber and the ideal types of social action

Although Max Weber can not be called the "father of sociology", nevertheless, he is one of the founders of it as a science, and substantiated this subject philosophically. Since sociology deals with the generalization, the generalization of facts, and also the actions produced by people, then certain models and types are necessary for this, according to which these generalizations are classified. This is how ideal types are obtained, that is, generalizations that distinguish certain characteristics characteristic of group members, as characteristic features of this group. However, the "understanding sociology" of M. Weber combined these types with the notion of social action.

The philosopher was sure that meaningful and conscious actions of people, taking into account the behavior of others, fall under the notion of social action. Therefore, the task of a scientist, a sociologist, is to understand and express the meaning of such an action. This was how Max Weber's "understanding sociology" was born. However, the types and types of this action can be different, as well as the ways of their understanding. The scientist divided these species into four categories. They differ in how rational and meaningful this action is.

The least rational is the affective type of this action, although it does not lose its sociality. He is not meaningless, but this sense is often not realized by the person himself, because the latter acts mainly under the influence of feelings and emotions. A traditional type is similar to it, when people act because they are so used to it, so it is not always understood the meaning of their actions, although it certainly exists in them. "Understanding sociology" M. Weber considers both these types of actions to be conditionally social, since sociologists can understand the meaning of these actions, and individuals themselves are not always.

Differ from the above two types of value-rational and goal-oriented action. The first is generated by the person's conscious belief that certain norms of behavior carry in themselves values created by God that meet ethical requirements or the canons of aesthetics. The "understanding sociology" of M. Weber characterizes this type of behavior as rational, but its rationality is relative. That is, a person behaves in one way or another because he feels obligated to do this because his convictions or his concept of human dignity require it, or, finally, because he considers it beautiful. However, often the norms of "proper" behavior are considered absolute, and the critical attitude to the source of these norms or possible side effects is not taken into account.

Finally, the most rational "understanding sociology" of M. Weber calls a goal-oriented action. It is that people clearly plan their behavior depending on the goals they want to achieve and expect (model) the behavior of other people they expect. At the same time, the goals themselves are achievable, they can change depending on the circumstances, and subjects and other people are perceived either as conditions or as means to achieve these goals. Since the main criterion of this behavior is its success and effectiveness, the objectives, means and possible consequences are carefully weighed. This kind of behavior is easiest to understand.

Of course, this division of numerous varieties of people's behavior into four types is only a provisional one and is done for convenience. It does not reflect the whole diversity of reality and is needed precisely for the sociologist to apply the logically-conceptual methods and the art of psychological "feeling", to live in the soul world of a person, to empathize with him to evaluate and reveal the meaning of social actions. Each of these methods or levels of understanding is important in its own way to understand the complex process that we call social life, Max Weber believed. Sociology, therefore, does not at all turn away from the subjective experiences and beliefs of a person and takes into account their influence on his behavior, as well as the influence of the totality of these experiences and beliefs on the behavior of the group. In addition, the scientist advised not to forget that the sociologists themselves share certain values, are moved by feelings and follow certain traditions, which also can not but affect the results of their research.