Sociology of Max Weber: Discussions on the Method of Understanding

Abstract

Weber, who systematized the science of sociology, brought the understanding method that can be used in social action research to sociology. Influenced by German idealism during the period when the methodologies of positive sciences dominated social sciences, Weber made the method of understanding suitable for sociological research based on the ideas of William Dilthey. This research is essential in providing a new perspective to the literature by analyzing the method of understanding, which has many disagreements based on the debates. The main purpose of this study is to try to make the understanding method more comprehensible sociologically by referring to the analyzes in the literature. The research was prepared following the literature review method and expanded by scanning the Weberian literature. Due to the richness of the literature, this study is limited to several works in which Weber uses the method of understanding. The works selected for the research were determined as "Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism", "Methodology of social sciences", and "Sociology of religion". The reason for choosing these works is that they are accepted in the sociology literature as the main sources for which Weber's understanding method is used. As a result of the research, it was found that Weber's understanding method was divided into two types such as direct observational and explanatory understanding. In addition, two basic definitions are used for the understanding method. These definitions have been interpreted as an empathic analysis of human behavior and directing the researcher's work by putting himself in someone else's shoes. The main reasons for Weber's choosing to use the understanding method are to criticize the scientific methods dominated by the positive sciences, to create his research path of the social sciences, to bring the interpretive and observational research method to sociology, and to put Dilthey's philosophical approach on a scientific plane. In addition, it is the search for a method that can be used in analyzing historical studies in terms of social action. Weber used the understanding method over certain ideal types and chose the understanding method as the main way to create ideal types. As a result, in addition to the fact that the method of understanding should set a path for sociological studies, it has also been reached that the method of understanding does not only express the understanding of the subject through the mind. While the method of understanding offers a wide range of methods to the researchers in this respect, it has also been effective in breaking the effect of positive sciences on social sciences.