1.4.1 Max Weber and Modernity

 

Was modernity driven by shifts in technology, economics, or politics? According to this Crash Course Sociology video, Max Weber would argue that the West’s way of thinking, and particularly the presence of rationalization, represent the defining shift in modernity.

Guiding Questions:

  1. What is the difference between traditionalism and and modernity? When did it begin?
  2. What role did the Protestant Reformation play in the transition from traditionalism to modernity?
  3. What are the three elements of social stratification? 
  4. Why was Weber worried about rationalization?

 

Video Credit: Crash Course. https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse/featured
Thumbnail: Racó industrial. Cardona. Photo Credit: Josep Puighermanal, 2009. CC BY-NC 2.0.