Weber's alleged emotivism

Br J Sociol. 1999 Dec;50(4):563-73.

Abstract

This paper seeks to refute Alasdair MacIntyre's contention that the sociology of Max Weber is emotivist. MacIntyre understands emotivism to involve the collapse of all moral judgment into statements of personal preference. It is shown that Weber's sociology analyses this condition and seeks to repudiate it. In no way does Weber embrace emotivism. MacIntyre misses Weber's repudiation because he misreads Weber's sociological project. The paper shows that MacIntyre's reading of Weber can be refuted if attention is paid to the 'Politics as a Vocation' lecture.

MeSH terms

  • Character
  • Emotions*
  • Ethics
  • Humans
  • Judgment
  • Politics
  • Sociology / methods*