http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0KKytKF6xE < Helps define ideal types
Weber’s ideas on sociology stemmed
from three main points, ideal types, power and authority, and bureacracy and
rationalization. Weber’s thoughts on ideal types said, “In its conceptual
purity, this mental construct…can’t be found empirically anywhere in reality.”
This means that “They are analytical
constructs that enable the researcher to develop hypotheses linking the types
with the conditions that brought about the event, phenomena, or social
structure, or with consequences that follow from its emergence” (website
below). Ideal types focus on a certain concept, take capitalism for example,
there are many different variations of it, but no perfect version. It can’t
truly be found in reality, but it’s used as a model.
There are many different aspects of capitalism that could be looked at
while viewing it as an ideal type. For example, free market and competition.
There are various forms of both of these and in a perfect capitalistic society
there would not be such a large division of social classes.
The video I chose helps explain how the concept of ideal types was
formed. It was developed to help alleviate categorical thinking, which divides
everything into more rigid categories. It helps to understand large social
realities from multiple perspectives. One part I particularly enjoyed was at
3:50 when they used the picture of social perspectives as a lookout on a large
ship. They are at a higher vantage point and therefore are able to see more,
similar to the idea of multiple perspectives. This video says that society is
too complex to view it from one way. Therefore we must use various ideal types
as a tool to help understand our world.
I feel that the concept of ideal types is a difficult one to grasp, but
find it very useful in terms of understanding social constructions today. As
the video said so well, it is a tool to understand the modern world. I had a
hard time explaining ideal types in my own words, but was able to find other
resources that helped clearly define my thoughts.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Ideal_Type.aspx
I really like that you thought of it as a tool to help understand things. To me I like to use them as tools to build my own thoughts off of. I feel that if you don't want us to have are own views on it and to add are own way of looking at things. I really liked your post of this idea and its cool view.
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a good job of explaining the concept. I struggled with it a bit myself and would have had a hard time writing it out in my own words. The video was helpful!
ReplyDelete