"Disenchantment of the World". The Thesis of Max Weber's Concept of the Sociology of Law

Abstract

Goal – the purpose of this text is to present the assumptions that are characteristic for Max Weber’s concept of the sociology of law. They undeniably fit into the picture of his vision about the state of contemporary political, economic, legal and social reality, which he collectively described with the term he coined – “the disenchantment of the world”. Research methodology – conducted through an analysis of the literature on the subject and by compiling the results of the undertaken analysis. Score/results – Max Weber, conducting an analysis of his contemporary world, tracing the historical changes that led to its formation, and studying the impact of these changes on his spheres of interest, came to the conclusion that with the development of Western civilization, magical explanations of reality gradually gave way to more “down-to-earth” explanations. Ultimately, Weber referred to the process of turning to reason and logic as rationalization. Rationalization, in turn, led to a state of affairs that Weber referred to as the “disenchantment of the world”. It should be reiterated after Grosby that “if, in fact, Weber was correct that all magical forces have been driven out of modern life, then there would no longer be a need to constantly ask ourselves about the meaning and sense of human life; there would no longer be any number of ethical disputes and paradoxes with which we are confronted; we would no longer struggle with the doubts that wrap around all action. There would only be a calculation that would determine the most effective ways to problem-free solutions” [Grosby, 2013: 308]. And as is well known, including from autopsy, both individuals and society as a whole continue to ask themselves questions that reason cannot answer. Originality/value – presenting a theoretically observable phenomenon, the grasp of which, however, often escapes observers. The text makes the reader aware of the complexity of the processes that have shaped today’s dimension of law. The text aims to make the reader aware that the rationalization of the world has led to the rationalization of law, and, through convergence, the rationalization of law has led to the rationalization and disenchantment of the world.