This book includes a full biography of Max Weber. As a German sociologist and political economist, Max Weber is best known for his thesis of the "Protestant Ethic," relating protestantism to capitalism, and for his ideas on bureaucracy. Through his insistence on the need for objectivity in scholarship and his analysis of human action in terms of motivation, Weber profoundly influenced sociological theory. Reviews: "One of the most renowned and controversial works of modern social science." -Anthony Giddens "Max Weber is the one undisputed canonical figure in contemporary sociology." -Times Higher Education Supplement This book includes a full biography of Max Weber. As a German sociologist and political economist, Max Weber is best known for his thesis of the "Protestant Ethic," relating Protestantism to capitalism, and for his ideas on bureaucracy. Through his insistence on the need for objectivity in scholarship and his analysis of human action in terms of motivation, Weber profoundly influenced sociological theory.