This week's episode examines Max Weber's 1919 lecture "Politics as a Vocation," delivered in Munich during a period of significant political instability between the German Empire and the Weimar Republic.

We look at Weber's definition of politics as the pursuit of state power, his account of legitimate authority (traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational), and his distinction between "living for" politics and "living off" politics. Using the historical example of the British Parliament, we trace how access to political careers has been shaped by wealth and income. The episode closes with Weber's account of what distinguishes the politician from the bureaucrat, and the three qualities he saw as essential to political vocation: passion, responsibility, and judgement.

Reading:

Weber, M. (2021) Politics As a Vocation. Creative Media Partners, LLC. Available at: https://books.google.de/books?id=_9HpzgEACAAJ.

Picture of Max Weber:

Von Ernst Gottmann - https://cdn.britannica.com/49/39749-050-E773E614/Max-Weber-1918.jpg, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90183495



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