ABSTRACT
Introductory remarks Among the classical sociological writers it was Max Weber and Emile Durkheim who contributed most to the development of voluntaristic action theory. Formed by different intellectual traditions-Weber by German idealism, Durkheim by French positivism-they both overcame the narrow confines of their approaches and moved a considerable distance toward an integrated voluntaristic theory of action, even if this was by no means complete and with varying degrees of emphasis. This is why Talcott Parsons was quite right in stating that Weber and Durkheim converge in a voluntaristic theory of action. This thesis of his will now be re-examined in detail in the two authors’ writings. After that we will consider the divergence that exists just as much between them. Our re-examination begins with Weber’s contribution.
