Weber's View On Social Class
Nineteenth century theorists such as Karl Marx and Max Weber were responsible in shaping our opinions about class and class-consciousness. They both viewed social class as an important function of social inequality and social change. Karl Marx (1818-1883), a German philosopher, economist and revolutionary socialist who published the 'Communist Manifesto' (which addressed his theory of Marxism) viewed social class as an economic phenomenon related to a person's wealth. Max Weber (1864-1920), a German sociologist and one of the founders of modern sociology who published the Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism added that a person's social class is not only determined by wealth but by status and power. It is important to define social
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They complement one another and it is unfair to stick to one theory. Marx's view could be implemented in one society while Weber's in another. There are societies where the two theories are integrated and this can also imply to different cultures in one society. The caste system in India is a great example as it is a rigid system of social classes whereby social mobilization is hindered. It resembles Marx's view on social class while in the US Weber's view is more prevalent. I am not personally in favor of Marx's theory because wealth cannot stand as the only indicator of a specific social class. Nowadays societies have changed and with industrialization, Marxism is growing weaker in societies. Marxism does still exist but has been incorporated with Weber's theory. I agree with Marx that people are aware of their rank and economic status (class consciousness) but I am also in favor of Weber's view that class consciousness is not apparent when the person is admired by everyone and has a status and prestige but from a lower socioeconomic background. Both the theorists' views are clear-cut and society's functions are not black and white as there's always grey in between. Marx and Weber's views are intertwined and it would be rather unfair to define social class of any country as belonging to either Marxist or Weber's
They complement one another and it is unfair to stick to one theory. Marx's view could be implemented in one society while Weber's in another. There are societies where the two theories are integrated and this can also imply to different cultures in one society. The caste system in India is a great example as it is a rigid system of social classes whereby social mobilization is hindered. It resembles Marx's view on social class while in the US Weber's view is more prevalent. I am not personally in favor of Marx's theory because wealth cannot stand as the only indicator of a specific social class. Nowadays societies have changed and with industrialization, Marxism is growing weaker in societies. Marxism does still exist but has been incorporated with Weber's theory. I agree with Marx that people are aware of their rank and economic status (class consciousness) but I am also in favor of Weber's view that class consciousness is not apparent when the person is admired by everyone and has a status and prestige but from a lower socioeconomic background. Both the theorists' views are clear-cut and society's functions are not black and white as there's always grey in between. Marx and Weber's views are intertwined and it would be rather unfair to define social class of any country as belonging to either Marxist or Weber's