VALUES, VALIDITY AND
IDEAL TYPES: WEBER
Gurminder K Bhambra
23rd October, 2013
INTRODUCTION TO WEBER
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Weber’s methodological writings set out the
principles of an interpretive sociology
What is distinctive about social science?
 What is the relation between distinct social sciences?
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Interpretive social science is based upon
understanding the motives of individuals.
Understanding, not law-like generalisations, is
the ultimate aim of sociology as an interpretive
science.
Difference between natural and social sciences.
THE ROLE OF VALUES
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Actors attribute meaning to the world; they also attribute it
significance and value
Social inquirers also act in the world and endow it with
values and meaning.
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This is an issue of values for social scientists which is
additional to the issue of values for the scientist
A neutral attitude is an attitude within the world you’re
studying
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How are those values prevented from being ‘biases’ in inquiry?
Or to take a neutral attitude is to face ‘alienation’
Difficulty of separating out values
METHODOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Weber: we need a methodology of the social sciences
that recognises that the problems we study are not
themselves value-neutral.
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Cultural variation in forms of behaviour means that the
nature of what is perceived to be a problem will vary, and
what sociologists are called upon to consider will be
different.
In contrast, the problems that are studied in science
are self-generated within the science.
In the social sciences what are considered problems
for study are produced in part externally to social
scientists – they are socially derived, they are not
endogenous to social science.
OBJECTIVITY IN SOCIAL INQUIRY
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Three core problems:
How do we have methodological rigour in the social
sciences given the relation to values?
 What is the role of generalisations (given that they
are part of methodological rigour in science as
normally understood) in a social inquiry oriented to
particulars?
 How are sociological constructs related to actors’
meanings?
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The methodology of ideal types is the attempt to
solve these problems.
IDEAL TYPES
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There are two forms of ‘types’
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Pure types – not empirical category, reflection on the
nature of action, it’s a logical type from thinking
about the characteristics of action itself
Ideal types – all empirical instances to which the
type is implied for purposes of interpretation deviate
from the pure type
Ideal types in action in relation to a valuerelevant question.
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Value-relevant question: Why did capitalism arise in
Europe?
This requires the construction of an ideal-type: what
do we mean by capitalism?