Il carattere distintivo dell’Occidente: Max Weber dalla modernità all’antichità

Having finished his essay on the Protestant Ethic Weber was expected to return to analyzing the contemporary world. Yet, from 1910 onwards, the central focus of his research was a comparative study on the «economic ethic» of the world religions, which took him deeply back into antiquity. Weber’s turn was motivated by a visionary insight into our contemporary present, evident since the end of the Cold War and 9/11: globalisation and the politics of religion. This was what Weber foresaw and wanted to put into perspective. The essay examines some key concepts of the Weberian historical sociology of civilizations and religions, demonstrating the depth of Weber’s insights about modernity and its character. It then identifies some serious shortcomings in Weber’s thought, suggesting a path along which Weberian sociology could take the spirit of Weber beyond Weber’s words, including the seemingly unbounded hopelessness of his last words about the incoming «Iron Age».