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Essay / Weber's Reflections on Social Action - 1820
Weber believes that every society is different and offers ideal typical constructions to explain a certain society. The starting point of his theory is meaningful social action. Weber believes that humans naturally value beings who hold certain values and interpret natural and social factors according to their values. Humans are conscious creatures who attach meaning to an act directed toward another individual. Weber is interested in social action, its subjective meaning and the unintended consequences of one's actions. According to Weber, structure is the result of an action which in turn affects the individuals responsible for establishing the structure. Humans act based on subjective meaning, and humans' worldviews determine their behavior. The behavior of each individual gradually becomes structured and regulated. The actions of each individual together create a collective institution for society. The iron cage is therefore an unintended result of growing rationalist thinking in Western capitalist societies. Weber uses the iron cage metaphor to explain social order and society. As society developed, rationalistic and efficient thinking developed, leading to the growth of bureaucracies. A bureaucracy is conceived as the most dominant form of social organization based on efficiency, rationalism and control. In a bureaucracy, there is a set of rules that prioritize rational, goal-oriented principles. Bureaucracy gave rise to the iron cage which is a metaphor for people in Western capitalist societies who are locked into a dogma of efficiency and practicality. This type of thinking limits the freedom and potential of the individual because the way the institution is built does not allow humans to have middle of paper and hardworking beings because the assembly lines take away the part social aspect of the human being. Marx saw religion as a tool of class oppression because of the conflict it created in societies. According to Marx, “religion is the opium of the people” and “religion promotes stratification because it supports a hierarchy of peoples on Earth and the subordination of humanity to divine authority.” Marx believes that it is man who makes religion, and not the other way around. He argues that religion is a mere product of man and is for people who have not conquered themselves or who have yet lost themselves. He calls for the banishment of religion, asserting that religion is only an illusion of happiness and that its abolition is a demand for real happiness. Religion highlights social conditions and causes people to think and act as religion teaches instead of letting individuals act based on their own free will..