ABSTRACT
An important consideration in the formulation of sociological concepts and generalisations is the contribution that sociology can make towards the causal explanation of some historically and culturally important phenomena. The theoretical concepts of sociology are ideal types from the objective point of view and in their application to subjective processes. In the great majority of cases actual action goes on in a state of inarticulate half consciousness or actual unconsciousness of its subjective meaning. The actor is more likely to 'be aware' of it in a vague sense than he is to know what he is doing or be explicitly self-conscious about it. It is very important to notice here that 'verification' can be accomplished in a single instance. Thus ideal types are seen here as explaining actual conduct, even though the purposive sequence of action, of which they give an account, are not known to the actual historical actor.
