The Vocation Lectures: "Science as a Vocation"; "Politics as a Vocation"

Description

Originally published separately, Weber's 'Science as a Vocation' and 'Politics as a Vocation' stand as the classic formulations of his positions on two related subjects that go to the heart of his thought: the nature and status of science and its claims to authority; and the nature and status of political claims and the ultimate justification for such claims. Together in this volume, these newly translated lectures offer an ideal point of entry into Weber's central project: understanding how, as Weber put it, "in the West alone there have appeared cultural manifestations [that seem to] go in the direction of universal significance and validity."

David Owen is Reader in Politics and Deputy Director of the Centre for Post-Analytic Philosophy, University of Southampton. Tracy B. Strong is Professor of Political Science, University of California, San Diego.

"...this is a highly readable tranlation of Weber's two most famous essays, and provides a good exposition of their major thmes." -- Prof. John Dreijmanis, Max Weber Studies, Vol. 7 No. 1, January 2007.