In your plan: Week 42, Wed, 4 Aug 2027.
Start here · 1 min read
Overview
Politics as a Vocation is a lecture given by Max Weber in Munich in January 1919 and published soon after. It defines the modern state by its claim to the legitimate use of physical force, sets out three grounds on which authority is accepted, and describes the character a politician needs. Its best-known idea is the contrast between an ethic of conviction and an ethic of responsibility. It remains a core text on power, leadership and the ethics of acting in public life.
Context
Germany had lost the First World War, the monarchy had fallen, and revolution and street violence were close at hand in Munich. Weber, a professor in poor health who died in 1920, was invited to speak to a student association. He addressed young listeners tempted by revolutionary certainty and tried to show what a sober, serious political life demands.
Read the full guide: chapter summaries, competing interpretations, key terms
Free account. Your progress, notes and scores stay private to you.
Curator's notes
- Why it matters
- Work ethic and capitalism; bureaucracy as an "iron cage"; three types of authority (traditional, charismatic, legal).
- Use in training and coaching
- Types of authority in leadership training; ethic of conviction versus responsibility
- Connects to
- Luther; Marx; Ibn Khaldun
- What to read
- Politics as a Vocation
- Text (date)
- Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic; "Politics as a Vocation" (1905, 1919)
Take the 10-question quiz, keep notes and track your progress
Free account. Your progress, notes and scores stay private to you.