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Britishioarnal of Soctology Folunle 29 ;Cuzzlber I MarGh If 78
ABSTRACT
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84 Thomas E. Dow ffnr.
a model of botll release itself and the apparent power that makes re-
lease possible. It follows, that release and the posver of eharisma are
interrelated if not identical, and tllat the follower is moved to 'eomplete
personal devotion . . .'14 because he sees in the leader forces that exist
within himself, forces that are being freed from the restraint of eon-
vention by the beillg and action of the leader. Accordingly, the follower
obtains 'freedom' from the eommonplace, the ordinary, the recurrent
by surrendering to both the initiatives of the leader and the emotional
eentres of his own being.
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An analysis of Weber's work on charisma 85
the power itself. Whoever possesses that power or charisma 'is stronger
even than the god, whom he can compel to do his will'.25 It is the per-
ceived power over demons, death, and Alltag in general that is crucial,
and that power is elemental not ethical. If it is a concealed power at all
then, it is so only in the sense that it is concealed within each of us.
Charisma discovers, expresses, and releases that power; it literally 'revo-
lutionizes men from witllin',26 freeing emotional and instinctual ele-
ments previously repressed by convention.
This pattern is found in fAe Bacchae, where the Maenads on the
mountain are possessed by the charisma of their leader and murder Pen-
theus in a state of ecstatic surrender. While their ecstasy itself is not sub-
ject to judgment, any more than the caprice or carelessness of lightning,
rain, or wind, tlle ethical meaning of its consequences must still be
sought tllrough the application of personal values. That Weber him-
self sought such meaning is evident in his final statement on charisma.
A model for this final formulation, incidentally, may be found in the
actions of the Chorus in The Bacchae, in that 'the Bacchantes of the
Chorus are not possessed'n27 as were those who killed Pentheus. 'A
divinity . . . moves in their words, but less as a chaotic wildness than as
a controlled and passionate conviction.'28 It is this quality of 'controlled
and passionate conviction' which stands at the centre of Weber's formu-
lation in 'Politics as a Vocation'. The intellectual path that led him to
this Snal formulation may be reconstructed as follows.
In the ideal typical model, charisma is presented as an emotional life-
force antithetically related to the routine requirements of daily exist-
ence. Conceptually, it represents 'that part of social life [of human exist-
ence] that remains forever beyond the reach of bureaucratic domina-
tion'.29 In reality, however, its realm is being eroded by the progressive
rationalization of life. Discipline, as the instrument of rationalization,
'inexorably takes over ever-larger areas as the satisfaction of political
and economic needs is increasingly rationalized. This universal phen-
omenon more and more restricts the importance of charisma and of
individually differentiated conduct.'30
Given this trend, or at least Weber's perception of such a trend, it is
perhaps not misleading to suggest that he did celebrate 'charisma as an
"emotional life-force" antagonistic to the dreary construction of the
iron cage'.3l Yet it was not a solution he could accept fully, in that it
replaced the emotional emptiness of bureaucratic conformity with the
irresponsibility of charismatic commitment; that is, it substituted for
passive conformity to convention behaviour 'determined [either] by the
specific affects and states of feeling of the actor',32 or by his uncondit-
ional orientation to the realization of 'absolute values'.33 Both patterns
of course are irrational and irresponsible, in the sense that in neither one
is the actor 'influenced by considerations of the consequences of his
action' .34
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Ellomas E. Dow jfnr.
86
HEART OF DARKNESS35
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An analysis of Weber's work on clzarisma 87
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88 Thomas 15. Dow 5}nr.
proportion be forged together in one and the same soul? Politics [he
observes] is made with the head, not with other parts of the body or
soul. And yet devotion to politics [he concludes], if it ls not to be frivo-
lous intellectual play but rather genuinely human conduct, can be born
and nourished from passion alone.'58
The problem is resolved by suggesting that genuine passion may be
expressed in the service of responsibility and proportion. The passionate
or mature man then, is described by Weber as one who 'is aware of
a responsibility for the consequences of his conduct and really feels
such responsibility with heart and soul. [Such a man] . . . acts by follow-
ing an ethie of responsibility and somewhere he reaches the point where
he says: Here I stand; I can do no other.' (Ich kann nicht anders, hier
stehe ich.59) At this point 'an ethie of ultimate ends [Gesinnungsethik]
and an ethic of responsibility [Verantwortungsethik] are not absolute con-
trasts but rather supplements, which only in unison constitute a genuine
man [echten Menschen] a man who can have the calling for politics'.60
Thus Weber's whole or 'genuine man' represents a synthesis of char-
isma and asceticism. He does not have the total freedom of llis Dionysian
predecessor in the earlier formulation of charisma; yet he is not without
warmth. His soul is 'free' to express itself passionately in defence of an
ethie of responsibility.
If the concerns behind this synthesis are considered, one sees, on the
one hand, that Weber shares Dostoevsky's fear that genuinely human
eonduct will be eliminatedin the 'crystal palace' of modern society,6l but
on the other hand, he is not willing totally to endorse the irrational as a
solution. In the context of political power, he could not accept Dostoev-
sky's view that 'two times two makes five is sometimes . . . a very charm-
ing . . . thing'.62 Actually, when two times two makes five or three or
whatever, as in I984, one is in the presence of arbitrary and irresponsible
power, and it is this arbitrary and irresponsible power that Weber
rejects most clearly in his Enal view of charisma.
Instead of Dostoevsky's equation, Weber would have preferred Win-
ston Smith's conclusion that if 'the freedom to say that two plus two
make four . . . is granted, all else follows'.63 In the sense intended by
Smith, the equation represents what Weber meant by objectivity,
proportion, and passion. In short, it suggests that passionate responsi-
bility for the past, the present, and the future is the primary source of
genuinely human behaviour.
Marlow
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An analysis of Weber's work on charisma 89
It follows that Marlow rather than Kurtz would represent the sober and
mature hero of the political essay. Yet the meaning of Weber's solution
is less clear. Does it represent simple advocacy, an arbitrary preference,
a personal value judgment; or is it intended as a 'sociological ethic'?
Close reading of Weber's essay on 'Science as a Vocation' (Wissenschaf
als Beruf) suggests the latter position, in that V9eber clearly uses this
essay to establish an affinity between science and the 'preferred' ethic of
responsibility.
In this essay, Weber admits, indeed insists, that science is not the 'way
to true being, . . . to true art, . . . to true nature, . . . to true God, . . . to
true happiness . . .'; and he agrees with Tolstoi that science cannot tell
us: 'What shall we do and how shall we live?'65 It cannot do this,
Weber argues, because 'the ultimately possible attitudes toward life are
irreconcilable, and hence their struggle can never be brought to a final
conclusion'.66 Consequently, 'scientific pleading is meaningless in prin-
ciple because the various splleres of the world stand in irreconcilable
conflict with each other'.67 In light ofthis position, one could argue that
Weber found himself 'the possessor of an albatross-concept of science,
which, like the mariner's bird, left one with no opportunity for rest and,
in an ultimate sense, had no rational meaning at all'.68
In fact, however, Weber found in the limits of science an occasion not
for despair but for 'moral achievement'.69 In the context of divergent
values, he sas science as providing not choice but clarity. That is, 'if
you take such and such a stand [hold such and such a value], then,
according to scientific experience, you have to use such and such a
means to carry out your conviction practically'.70 Similarly, 'if you
want such and such an end, then you must take into the bargain the
subsidiary consequences which according to all experience will occur'.7l
In this way, science can help the individual 'give himself an account of
the ultimate meaning of his own conduct'.72 And because it does this,
Weber argues, science 'stands in the service of "moral" forces; [it] . . .
fulfils the duty of bringing about self-clarification and a sense of respon-
sibility'.73
In short, science makes meaningful choice possible, in the sense that it
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9o Thomas E. Dow Xnr.
allows one to make choices that involve 'accountability to the social and
political forces of one's age'.74 Yet science cannot make these choices for
us; it cannot speak directly of values or good intentions but only of
means and consequences. And for this reason, science is associated with
an ethic of responsibility rather than an ethic of ultimate ends. From
this it seems reasonable to conclude that it was Weber's intention to pro-
vide a form of intellectual legitimation for this ethic and for the new
charismatic leadership that was to follow it.
One can also argue that Weber wished to associate his models of
political and scientific man with a theory of human development.
Specifically, he refers throughout both vocational essays to 'genuinely
human conduct',75 to 'a genuine man',76 to acting 'like a man',77 to
something being worthy of 'man as man',78 to 'a mature man',79 and
then associates these optimal but nonspecific states of personal develop-
ment with the specific characteristics of the Beruf politician or scientist.
This view of personal development is part of a major classical tradition
in Western thought. It also corresponds to contemporary definitions of
personal or political maturity. Davies' argument,80 for example, tllat a
mature man is one who can recognize and accept the consequences of
his own choices and the choices of others as they affect himself and the
polity at large, is the equivalent of the argument advanced by Weber in
the vocational essays. The uses and limitations of tllis or any theory
of human development will be examined more fully later in tllis
paper.
Summary
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An analysis of Weber's work on charisma 9I
Conclusion
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92 Thomas E. Dow 31zr.
Notes
I. Max Weber, Economy and Society son and TaIcott Parsons, trans.), edited
(Guenther Roth and Claus Wittich, ed.), with an introduction by Talcott Parsons,
New York, Bedminster Press, I968; and New York, Oxford University Press,
Max Weber, 'Politics as a Vocation' in I 947, pp. 36 I-2.
Hans Gerth and C. Wright Mills (eds), 5. Weber, I968, Op. cit., p. I I I2.
From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, New 6. Weber, I968, Op. Cit., p. I I I5.
York, Oxford University Press, I gs8a. 7. Weber, I968, Op. Cit., p. I I I5.
2. Weber, Igs8a; op. cit.; and Max 8. Weber, I968, Op. Cit., p. I I I 7.
Weber, 'Science as a Vocation' in Hans 9. Weber, I968, Op. Cit., p. I I I5.
Gertll and C. Wright Mills (eds), From IO. Weber, I947, Op. Cit., p. 362.
Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, New I I . Weber, I 968, Op. Cit., p. I I I 7.
York, Oxford University Press, Igs8b. I2. Weber, I968, Op. Cit., p. I I I7.
3. Weber, I968, Op. cit., p. I I I2. I3. Weber, I968, Op. Cit., p. I I I3.
4. Max Weber, The Theory of Social I 4. Weber, I 947, Op. Cit., p. 359.
and Economic Organization (A. M. Hender- I 5. Weber, I 968, Op. Cit., p. 40 I .
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An analysis of Weber's work on charisma
39
6. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. 535. 48. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I I6.
I7. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. 535. 49. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. II6.
I8. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. 535. 50. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I28.
I9. Weber, I947,0p. cit., p. 359. 5I. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I I5.
20. William Arrowsmith, 'Intro- 52. Weber, I gs8a, op. cit., p. I I 6.
duction to the Bacchae' in Grene and 53. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I20.
Lattimore, The Complete Greek Tragedies,54 Weber, Igs8a, ops cits, ps I I5
Volume IV, Chicago, The University of 55 Weber, I958a, ops cits, ps I I5
Chicago Press, I958,p.537. 56. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I27.
2I. Ibid., p. 537. 57. Thomas Mann, Buddenbrooks, New
22. Ibid, p. 537s York, Knopf, I967.
23. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. 467. 58. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. II5.
24. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. 40I. 59. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I27.
25. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. 422. 60. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I27.
26. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. III6. 6I. Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes from
27. Arrowsmith, op. cit., pp. 539-40. Underground, New York, E. P. Dutton,
28. Arrowsmith, op. cit., p. 540. I 960, p. 3 I .
29. James V. Downton, Jr., Rebel 62. Ibid., p. 30.
Leadership: Commitment and Charisma in 63. theGeorge Orwell, I984, New York,
Revolutionary Process, New York, The TheFreeNew American Library, I949, p. 69.
Press, I973,p.273. 64. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I27.
30. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. II56. 65. Weber, I gs8b, op. cit., p. I 43.
3I. Arthur Mitzman, The Iron Cage: 66. Weber, I gs8b, op. cit., p. I 52.
An Historical Interpretation of Max Weber, 67. Weber, Igs8b, op. cit., p. I47.
New York, Knopf, I970,p.304. 68. Mitzman, op. cit., p. 255.
32. Weber, I947,0p. cit., p. II5. 69. Weber, I gs8b, op. cit., p. I 47.
33s Weber, I947,0p. cit., p. II7. 70. Weber, I gs8b, op. cit., p. I 5 I .
34s Weber, I947,0p. cit., p. II7. 7 I . Weber, I gs8b, op. cit., p. I 5 I .
35. Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, 72. Weber, I gs8b, op. cit., p. I 52.
New York, W. W. Norton & Co., I97I. 73 Weber, I 958b, op. cit., p. I 5
36. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. III7. 74. Mitzman, op. cit., p. 229.
37. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. III5. 75 Weber, I958a, op. cit., p. I I5.
38. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. III3. 76. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I27.
39. Weber, I968,0p. cit., p. III3. 77 Weber, I 958b, op. cit., p. I 55.
40. Conrad, op. cit., p. 63. 78. Weber, I gs8b, op. cit., p. I 37.
4I. Conrad, op. cit., p. 7I. 79. Weber, Igs8a, op. cit., p. I27.
42. Jerome Thale, 'Marlow's quest' in 80. James Davies, Human ;Nature in
R. Kimbrough, Heart of Darkness, New Politics: The Dynamics of Political Behavior,
York, W. W. Norton & Co., I97I, p. New York, John Wiley & Sons, I963,
I80. pp. 324-5
43. Ibid., p. I80. 8I. Mitzman, op. cit., p. 249.
44. Weber, Igs8a and b, op. cit. 82. Peter Bachrach, The Theory of
45s Weber, I958a, ops cits, ps II5s Democratic Elitism: A Critique, Boston,
46. Max Weber, Gesammelte Politische Little, Brown and Company, I 967,
Schriften, Tubingen, J. C. B. Mohr, Pp. 98-9.
I958C,ps533 83. Weber, I gs8b, op. cit., p. I 56.
47s Weber, I958a, op. cit., p. II5. 84. Mitzman, op. cit., p. 229.
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