Max Weber has long been recognized as one of the founders of modern sociology. His theoretical works continue to provide elaboration and clarification of the logical and epistemological foundations of social science, while many of the problems he explored have remained central to social research--such as the nature and causes of capitalist development, the sources and forms of political power, and the specific role of ideal or cultural factors as determinants of social action. Weber took pains to define his concepts clearly and precisely, and many of them--for instance, charisma and rationalization--have become part of the standard vocabulary of social thought.

Karl Emil Maximilian Weber was born on 21 April 1864 in Erfurt, Germany, the eldest of six children. His father, Max Weber Sr., practiced law and was active in politics. His mother, Helene (née Fallenstein), was well educated, deeply religious, and socially conscious. In 1869 Weber's father took...