Marxism is Dead
After class I go home to check my e-mail. A concept such as e-mail would have seemed absurd to Karl Marx and Max Weber. It is accepted as just another part of life in our high-technology society, however. Max Weber and Karl Marx had a difference of opinion over what was the driving force behind changes in society. Marx vs. Weber, Social Conflict vs. Rational Thought. In a 12 round decision it's Weber's rationalization of society over socialism.The essential difference in these two theories is what drives a society towards its advancements. Marx believed that the inequality between the haves and have-nots would lead to a revolt from the proletariat. (The proletariat are easily described as the workers who are employed by the capitalists.) According to Marx, the proletariat and capitalists were class descendants of masters and slaves, and nobles and serfs. When the Industrial Revolution came to western Europe in the mid 1840's, Marx saw that the capitalists who owned the factories, and the workers who filled them, were growing further and further apart in class standing. The very rich could afford great luxuries, while the lower class worked full weeks to feed their families. He summed up that an ev
A good example of this are the Yanomamo people of Brazil. According to Weber, we view almost every relationship on what we put in and what we get out. He allows for human ideas to lead the changes in society rather than the work humans do. Marx believed they would be slow to band together like the proletariat. Weber viewed the Industrial Revolution and capitalism as the historical rising of rationality. This has caused a great deal of change in the daily routine of several Americans, and it's advancements like this that will change our society in the futureBibliography None. He carefully observed several societies around the world, noting the more technologically advanced societies had abandoned tradition in favor of new views of the world. When the proletariat gained "class consciousness," a recognition of their strength in unity, they would overthrow the shackles of the capitalists, and eventually capitalism itself. In Weber's sociological theory, there are two different views of the world, tradition and rationality. His theories have proven to be more accurate by the rise of: large scale corporations, specialized tasks emerging all over the world, a society where you are judged more for what you are based on technical competence rather than who you are based on your kinship ties, and finally the rise of impersonality that specialization has brought about. According to Weber, North America and western Europe are two of the most rationally advanced areas in the world. Countries where they have not yet had an introduction to industry are slow to adopt to rationality, sticking with their traditional ways of life. This doesn't mean that they will revolt anytime soon; however, their ideas and values will change triggering changes in society. Barely ten years ago the Internet was a novelty item that was used by scientists and computer professionals only. As society adapts to new technology, new ideas are being formed to adapt to our rapidly changing world.
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