Before I dive into Max Weber and continue this rewind into posts that have been sitting in my drafts, I want to make it clear that I am in no way avoiding the current state of our world. I will be writing about the Roe v. Wade news, but I need time. I need time, like every woman in America, to process, to cope, and to think. Once I do that, you will get my thoughts. I don’t have a great way to transition into this sociological post, so consider that my little blurb.
As you all know, I think Max Weber is pretty freaking cool, to say the least. So, once my “formal” learning was over, I decided to continue learning. I bought a book off of Amazon that contains Weber’s “Vocation Lectures”. The first of these lectures is “Science as Vocation”, alternatively titled, “The Scholar’s Work”. Now, my original title for this post was “Damn You, Max Weber”, because my head is spinning after reading this essay. Below you will find my favorite quotes from the lecture and a brief blurb containing my personal thoughts. May these quotes get you thinking as much as they got me thinking…
“It is not the problems of collective decision making that make one’s academic fate so predominantly a matter of ‘chance’. No, it is that every young man who sets out to be a scholar quickly realizes the task awaiting him has what I earlier called a double face. He is expected to be both a good scholar and a good teacher. And these two qualities are by no means the same.”
Dear Max Weber, I think you’re totally right. Some of the smartest people I’ve met have made the worst teachers. And one of the best teachers I’ve had is one who never finished college. Weber talks a lot about the macro structure of the education system in The Scholar’s Work, especially by comparing the German system with the American one. Weber is incredibly smart, but credits much of his professional success to luck. I find that both insightful and mind-blowing. I wonder what would happen if this macro structure removed the synonymity between scholarship and qualification…
” The only way to have ‘personality’ in the realm of scholarship is to be wholly devoted to what you are studying.”
Dear Max Weber, I think this one is interesting… In all honesty, I don’t know that I agree with Weber completely on this one. I think being engrossed in your studies is pretty important, yes, but there’s a saying that I live by: Jack of all trades, but master of none. Though oftentimes better than master of one. Weber makes the point that a scholar must specialize in something. In the professional sense, yes. In the intellectual, personal sense, absolutely not. Hell, on this page I talk about sociology, religion, and music. I haven’t made a single post about literature, which is my “specialty”. I think I took this quote out of Weber’s vocational context, so I’ll put it back now and sit down before I go completely off the tracks.
“Politics does not belong in the lecture hall, students should not bring it in. […] But lecturers shouldn’t bring it in either.”
Dear Max Weber, I see your point, but be careful. When in a political science class, you obviously talk about politics. But when you study early American literature, do you not consider the politics of the time? When studying social structures or sociological theories, do you not consider the politics of the time? I think politics are innately built into our lecture halls, but I think political opinions are what Weber is talking about. It takes a very specific teacher to leave their political opinion at the door. And it takes an equally specific student to do the same. Frankly, I would question the quality of both individuals.
“A professor who feels called to advise the young and who enjoys their trust can sho what he’s made of when dealing with individual students, person to person.”
Dear Max Weber, I LOVE THIS! Granted, you’d have to remove the earlier portion to this point, but I love it! Weber talks a lot about how professors are there to teach, nothing more. The moral and ethical side of teaching isn’t one Weber is particularly fond of, which I disagree with. I always perform better academically when I can see my professors as whole people. This being said, I think Weber is spot on with this point. I could take the next twelve paragraphs talking about how my sociology professor fits here, but if I did that, she might think I’m a creep, so I’m going to shut up now. You all know how much I respect that woman. Moving on…
“All theology is a rationalization of religion’s sacred domain.”
Dear Max Weber, I find this really interesting, but I’m scared to agree with you. We can’t talk about Weber without talking about God, and I both love and hate that. Weber makes some interesting points about religion in this lecture, this one being most interesting to me. There are so many components to religion that talk about mysticism. The Catholic Catechism literally calls the Trinity a mystery. Yet with all the mystery in all the religions, we have these texts, these theologies, that attempt to rationalize the mess. I never put it that way before, and I like that Weber does. I think it’s a very unique, yet somehow respectful (?) way of tying theology to scholarship. Nicely done, Max…
And lastly, my favorite (current favorite, that is…) quote from The Scholar’s Work:
“It is your God-damn duty to take a side.”
Dear Max Weber, SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! This is in reference to students and political opinions. So, it’s our duty to take a side, but we must leave that side out of the lecture hall? No thanks on the leaving it out part, but I’ll sure take you up on the having a side thing. It’s short, it’s simple, but it’s bold. It’s very Weberian.
These are just a few of the highlighted passages in the lecture. I have thirty-nine highlighted passages in this thing, you’re lucky I only spoke about six of them, and rather briefly considering my typical rambling length… interesting. I think this is one post that would be better written as a formal essay, or a good, in-person conversation with a peer. One of the two, hopefully both, will happen someday. Part 2 of this will be exploring the second of Weber’s vocation lectures, though let’s be real, I’m probably going to write even more on these lectures at some point. Until next time, dear internet void!
Humble Chutzpah 