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the scientist and the contributions each has made to modernity. In order to
place Weber’s discussions on the roles of the politician and scientist in their
proper context, we must briefly discuss the rise of the bureaucratic order of
the Weberian society. We begin with Weber’s sobering idea that modern
then discuss the roles and characteristics of the politician and scientist
themselves, and critically examine Weber’s claim that the politician plays a
bigger and more irreplaceable role in modern society than the scientist. We
evaluate this idea and attempt to look at historical and current examples to
support and discredit this claim, primarily focusing on the role of the scientist
roles of the politician and the scientist. I indicate that, considering their
society, the roles, characteristics, and contributions of the politician and the
the thought that because politicians and scientists can contribute to society
in a way that Weber may not have considered, then modern society may not
prognosis of what will result from modern society, however, was very
discouraging. One of Weber’s most famous quotes reads, “The fate of our
155) Weber believed that the defining characteristic of the modern state
had a negative effect on society by taking away some of the magical effects
of the natural world. Weber dismally wrote, “No summer’s bloom lies ahead
of us, but rather a polar night of icy darkness and hardness, no matter which
For Weber, the future brought ‘darkness and hardness’ because the
all but assured through the rise of democratic societies. This is because
of social relationships and interaction among and between the scientist and
and disenchanted.
For Weber, the politician and the scientist both play key roles in the
highly bureaucratic modern society. In his analysis, Weber has mostly given
The fact that hazard rather than ability plays so large a role is not
alone or even predominantly owing to the ‘human, all too human’
factors, which naturally occur in the process of academic
selection as in any other selection. […] The predominance of
mediocrity is rather due to the laws of human co-operation,
especially the co-operation of several bodies, and, in this case,
co-operation of the faculties who recommend and of the
ministries of education. (Weber, Science as a Vocation, p. 132)
Weber argues that networking and other “human, all too human” factors play
discoveries may happen only once in a blue moon, and that these
discoveries will be out of date in too short a time frame. A scientist seeking
to enter the field will have to gamble on whether or not an idea will strike
them at the appropriate moment. Weber famously mused that “ideas occur
to us when they please, not when it pleases us,” and that “each of us knows
that what he has accomplished will be antiquated in ten, twenty, fifty years.”
(Weber, Science as a Vocation, p. 136 & 138) Weber’s biggest issue with
science, though, is not based on the fact that he viewed success in science
as random chance. His biggest issue with science is based on the idea that
would say, science detracts from life. Success in science would mean
(for reasons which we will discuss after this note), only indirectly leads to
talented and rare political leader to be able to inspire others and serve “the
authority can restore meaning and vigor to the populace, should one arise.
Weber begins his lecture on Politics as a Vocation with the line, “This
state, tend toward routine and bureaucratic order rather than promote
personal relations and/or passionate behavior. The state, after all, “is a
administration in order to maintain the stability of the state, ensure law and
order, and otherwise manage politics in a way that doesn’t radically alter the
manner. Weber writes that “the political element consists, above all, in the
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task of maintaining ‘law and order’ in the country, hence maintaining the
of promoting this stability and bureaucratic order has given rise to a class of
83)
historical experience confirms the truth—that man would not have attained
the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible.
But to do that a man must be a leader, and not only a leader but a hero as
128) Charismatic leadership, then, can inspire and encourage passion in the
populace through their leadership. Charismatic leaders can help men and
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women reach for goals they never before believe possible. But charismatic
men. Weber notes that “by its very nature, the existence of charismatic
leaders can also blind a populace and encourage them to pursue action that
It is safe to say that Weber emphasizes the role of the politician more
than the scientist. As previously noted Weber believes that scientists serve a
Weber writes,
On this point, Weber is overly critical of the field of science. Weber does not
necessarily first takes into account the greater needs of society before
make money off his or her discovery or achieve renown from it, the scientist
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needs to understand toward what purpose their discovery shall serve. For
example on one hand Weber makes the argument that most of humanity
need not understand the physics behind a moving streetcar. Weber writes
that “unless he is a physicist, one who rides on the streetcar has no idea how
the car happened to get into motion. And he does not need to know.”
purposes, that person, the scientist, needs to first understand how his or her
Weber takes issue with the fact that the invention and improvement of
the streetcar itself does not shed light on important questions such as “What
streetcar assists human transport, and the train helps increase human
facts, and for this reason the scientist’s technical discoveries are not outside
the domain of serving larger social purposes as Weber would believe. For
the experience of human society and how we humans go about our lives.
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they are if we did not have cheap and ready access to telephones, speedy
travel, and the internet. Governments, such as the United States, and other
genocides such as Sudan and Darfur if it weren’t for the populace’s easy
where such incidences would be ignored. Science can also change human
society for the worse, as well as for the better. The advent of the nuclear
bomb allows motivated groups of people the option of destroying the planet
day, and are exploited by others such as politicians. Weber writes that
science’s sake’ and not merely because others, by exploiting science, bring
about commercial or technical success and can better feed, dress, illuminate,
and govern.” (Weber, Science as a Vocation, p. 138) This argument also has
historical merit: the United States’ development of the nuclear bomb was a
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bomb would likely not have developed the way it had—especially if countries
did not compete to obtain the destructive nuclear technology. This shows
that politics and science are inextricably linked, which Weber agrees. But the
nuclear example is only one of many different examples for ways in which
fame. Individual scientific discoveries happen often enough that rather than
rule. The advent of electricity was unanticipated, and thus its discovery and
utilization could not have been prompted by the government. On the other
hand, other inventions such as the nuclear bomb, the internet, and other
needs. This shows that Weber is correct in many areas of his analysis, but
authority over society than the scientist, I would argue that the relationship
between politicians and scientists are more complex than Weber recognizes.
Weber holds the reasonable assumption that politicians hold the ultimate
authority within a state. On the other hand, as Weber also recognizes, there
level social stratification and enable governments to tap into the will and
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desires of their citizens in order to better serve them (see Bureaucracy page
224, which was quoted early on in this paper). In this manner, citizens,
politicians, can easily vote in politicians that agree with them and vote out
politicians who disagree. For this reason, politicians don’t hold supreme
for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President, and now heads the
elected to the United States House of Representatives for the Illinois 14th
Congressional District.1
Weber believed that the scientist and the politician generally promoted
for their technical study, and did not recognize that their discoveries and
of social progress and how their achievements can service societal needs. To
1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Foster_(physicist)
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humans to increase their population and live in greater luxury than at any
other point in history, to better enjoy each other’s company even from
others (while we may take them for granted) have encouraged us to dream
of other future advances in store for us. These advances have also enabled
before our time. I would argue that rather than being disenchanting, these
Works Cited
Weber, M. (1958). Bureaucracy. In H. Gerth, & C. W. Mills, From Max Weber: Essays
in Sociology (pp. 196-244). New York City: Oxford University Press.
Weber, M. (2002). The Protestant Ethic & The Spirit of Capitalism. (S. Kalberg, Ed.)
New York City: Oxford University Press.