Let us first agree that Max Weber and Karl Marx are two ‘giants’ in the field of social science. Both of them inherited social science theories that influenced the thinking of intellectuals, even today. His work is like a ghost roaming campuses. His writings are frequently quoted by intellectuals, especially sociologists who claim that both are the founding fathers of their discipline. Apart from that, his words are often used as ammunition for arguments. Even for some people, Max Weber and Karl Marx were not just social scientists, they were also aligned with the Prophets.
Read also Karl Marx: The Prophet of the Proletariat However, Marx and Weber are considered to have different lines of thought, often even contradictory. Both are in different social science thought schemes. Even though there are many similarities between the two. The intellectual traditions of Marx and Weber are heavily influenced by what Alan S Kahan (2012) calls the thought of the ‘honeymoon’ period between intellectuals and capitalism. Max Weber, in his view of capitalism, criticized the writer of Das Kapital a lot.
What is the definition of capitalism Max Weber and Karl Marx?
Capitalism is a ‘monster’ which is the center of both analysis. Weber began to gain prestige when ‘The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism’ became popular with the public. His work, which discusses the relationship between religion and capitalism, soon became a masterpiece. Karl Marx was famous before when Das Kapital began to be regarded as the holy book of revolutionaries, namely since the 19th century. However, Weber did not agree with Marx on many matters, not only about religion but also on capitalism itself.
Also read Max Weber: Modern Social Science “Architect” Unlike Marx, Weber’s view of capitalism is arguably quite pessimistic. Maybe because Weber left no room for reflection on the revolutionary effort. However, Weber’s criticism of Marx is considered normal as criticism of other intellectuals who are considered failing to make predictions. Weber did not believe that capitalism could be defeated by revolution. For Weber, the capitalist system is typically more rational than the previous system, namely feudalism. However, like Karl Marx, Weber condemned the capitalist system which turned out to be exploitative and pushed aside human values. According to Weber, the market system that was born from the womb of capitalism is often more inhuman. Weber called it ”
