The Sociological Categories of Economic Action

Weber begins his discussion in Chapter II of Economy and Society with a disclaimer, that his categories of economic action do not pretend to be an ‘economic theory’. Sociology and economics are distinct ‘special’ social sciences; each has a specific analytically defined aspect of social phenomena to consider. The object of sociology is not that of economics-Weber is not concerned with the economic effects of economic relations. Rather, the function of the sociological categories of economic action is to conceptualise economic behaviour in its sociological aspect, to represent economic behaviour as a form of social action. These categories therefore examine economic behaviour in terms of its subjective meaning for the actor and the specific nature of the means-ends relationship involved in ‘economic’ action. Any attempt to provide a substantive analysis of the economic content of economic relations is denied in advance and left to the specialist discipline of economics. Weber’s categories cannot, therefore, in his own terms, be criticised for not explaining the economy, for ignoring important aspects of economic relations, or for ‘one-sidedness’. They are not an economic theory but a special perspective on economic behaviour. There is no reason why we should accept Weber’s own terms. It is necessary to question in particular the very convenient separation of economics and sociology as special social sciences. This separation is another of the methodological devices which enables Weberianism to ‘legitimately’ ignore the problem of the general relation of the economic level to the social totality. The content of Weber’s own work contradicts the methodological protocols he imposes upon it. The separation of economics and sociology is denied by the content of Weber’s sociology of economic action. Weber’s position in the chapter on economic action does in fact represent a distinct conception of the economy and is not simply the consideration of economic behaviour as social action. This conception is closely allied to a definite economic theory.