In 1904 a new journal, Archiv Fur Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialpolitik, was introduced in Germany. The journal, which included the writings of some of the foremost scholars of the day, as well as those who gained recognition and influence in later years, appeared regularly until its suspension in 1933. Writing during a period of extreme political difficulty, widespread intellectual uncertainty, and continuing crisis, these scholars, some of whom are still widely studied today, challenged social philosophy and social science to respond adequately to the increasing complexity of industrial society. This book offers the first history of the Archiv and its contributors, as well as extensive indexes to its articles and an assessment of their social and political significance.

The problem of the nature of values and the relation between values and rationality is one of the defining issues of twentieth-century thought and Max Weber was one of the defining figures in the debate. In this book, Turner and Factor consider the development of the dispute over Max Weber's contribution to this discourse, by showing how Weber's views have been used, revised and adapted in new contexts.

The story of the dispute is itself fascinating, for it cuts across the major political and intellectual currents of the twentieth century, from positivism, pragmatism and value-free social science, through the philosophy of Jaspers and Heidegger, to Critical Theory and the revival of Natural Right and Natural Law. As Weber's ideas were imported to Britain and America, they found new formulations and new adherents and critics and became absorbed into different traditions and new issues.

This book was first published in 1984.

This study of Weber's sociology, written by an eminent authority, is a clear and illuminating discussion of the most important elements of Weber's thinking. The book concentrates on four main elements of Weber's work: his approach to sociological method, ethical neutrality and historical explanation; his influential work on religion and capitalism; his theory of authority and political power; and his contribution to the analysis of class, status and party.