Max Weber and scientific polemics

Abstract

Five years ago was the 100th anniversary of Max Weber's death. This prompts us to raise once again the question of the value of his scientific achievements.

It was posed, moreover, from the moment they appeared in public circulation. They have evoked and continue to evoke not only widespread interest and appreciation on the part of various scholars, but also various criticisms and polemics of them. Today, while there is some agreement that they were significant achievements in the social sciences, there is considerable disagreement not only as to what this significance consists of, but also in what area of research they should be situated. In these reflections, I do not attempt to settle these issues definitively. Instead, I try in them to point out those scientifically important achievements of Weber's that have aroused the most serious controversies and polemics. Some of these polemics are so interesting and inspiring that they bring something significantly new and valuable to the social sciences and humanities.