Weber, on the other hand, did not agree that social and political class could really be considered one and the same. For him, the material inequality observable in society was the source of power and stratification, and not merely the result of the system (Davidson 2009). While still uniting the concepts of ideology and materialism, Weber's view can in some ways be seen as a reversal of Marx's; the material inequality was the means by which the ideological and political inequality could be perpetuated (Davidson 2009). The greater opportunities available to those who had greater wealth allowed for their continued dominance.
Briefly describe how two different theorists might analyze the economic climate of today and what brought it on? How would each of them understand how it would happen and what will happen in the near future.
There are many similarities between the sociological theories of Emil Durkheim and Max Weber, but there are also significant differences that would lead to different interpretations of the current economic situation. Durkheim coined the term "social fact" to denote the impact that society has on an individual's behavior (Bartle 2009). His sociological perspective, then, demanded an understanding of how the individuals and his or her behavior were shaped by larger forces in society. From this perspective, the current economic situation could be seen...
First, there were societal pressures to increasingly rely on credit, buying more things and bigger houses that individuals couldn't really afford. When payments started defaulting, there was some real loss of wealth. This created a fear that caused others to panic and withdraw their money from investments in an attempt to stay ahead of society's economic woes -- societal issues, then, influenced individual behaviors in a very meaningful way.
Weber, on the other hand, saw the individuals' behavior as the primary influence on society, and therefore that individual behavior must be understood in order to understand society (Bartle 2009). This perspective would see the individual's overspending and then fear as the primary cause of the economic downturn, rather than vice versa. The two perspectives would see similarly related solutions to the problem; the economy must return to strength inspire confidence, or vice versa.
References
Bartle, P. (2009). "Durkheim & Weber." Accessed 12 October 2009. http://www.scn.org/cmp/modules/soc-web.htm
Davidson, a. (2009). "Comparing Karl Marx and Max Weber." Accessed 12 October 2009. http://www.helium.com/items/1598754-marx-and-weber-on-social-class
Ritzer, G. & Goodman, D. (2004). Sociological Theory. New York: McGraw Hill.
