MAX WEBER

Max Weber (1864-1920) was a German political economist and sociologist. He is one of the founders of modern sociology and public administration. Weber published The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1902), The Sociology of Religion (1920), Economy and Society (1922) and The Methodology of the Social Sciences (1949). In this essay, Weber considered rationalization in sociology of religion, economics, political science.

Weber’s two main contributions were:
-rationalization thesis_a grand meta-historical analysis of power of west in modern times
-Protestant Ethic thesis_ a non-Marxist genealogy of modern capitalism

These two theses helped start his reputation as one of the founding theorists of modernity. In addition, his avid interest and participation in politics led to a unique strand of political realism comparable to that of Machiavelli and Hobbes.


References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9076388/Max-Weber
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/weber/