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What is a State? / Politics as a Vocation
Samson ZhangMax Weber, in Comparative Politics, Notes and Readings, 8th edition, published 1995, originally 1961; adapted from "Politics as a Vocation", Max Weber: Essays in Sociology 1946
Jan 21, 2022Last updated Jan 21, 2022
Summary
Politics is defined as power struggles among or within states, which are themselves defined as communities which claim a monopoly of legitimate violence within a given territory. To be a political figure or leader is ultimately to appeal to followers' base fears and hopes, and thus morally dubious either in method or result.
Notes
- politics is broad -- any independent leadership in action
- political association cannot be defined by ends -- nearly every ends has been attempted by political associations, i.e. states
- state is defined as human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory => the dominated must obey the authority claimed
- politics is striving to share power or influence the distribution of power among states or groups within states
- roots of obedience are fear of vengeance and hope of reward, but domination is legitimized in three ways
- "eternal yesterday" -- following unquestioned tradition, e.g. kings
- authority of extraordinary and charismatic -- leaders elected for accomplishments or traits
- domination by virtue of legality -- obedience based on rational rules
- ethics can be broken down into ethics of ultimate ends -- worrying only about intent, leaving responsibility of consequences to others or god; and ethics of responsibility -- taking responsibility for foreseeable consequences
- but in politics, good ends often require morally dubious methods to achieve
- a leader's following is like a machine: even if their ideological beliefs are sincere, at the root are base material or emotional needs
- therefore working in politics is dangerous -- easy to be individually corrupted, must prepare for it -- seek salvation elsewhere
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