Politics as a Vocation
Delivered as a lecture at Munich University in January 1919, Politics as a Vocation is one of the foundational texts of modern political thought. Speaking against the backdrop of Germany's defeat in the First World War and the chaos of the early Weimar Republic, Max Weber asks what it means to live for politics rather than off politics. He famously defines the modern state as the human community that successfully claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory, and traces three pure types of legitimate authority: traditional, charismatic, and legal rational. Weber then turns to the moral life of the politician, distinguishing an ethic of conviction from an ethic of responsibility and arguing that anyone who takes up politics must accept the diabolical bargain of using power to do good. The lecture remains essential reading for students of sociology, political theory, and public life.
What you might want to know about Politics as a Vocation
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Max Weber's 1919 lecture on the calling of politics, the legitimacy of the state, and the ethics of responsibility.
It is a single long lecture, usually printed at around 50 to 80 pages and often paired with Science as a Vocation.
Some familiarity with European history and political theory helps, but the prose is accessible and the argument is self contained.
Politics as a Vocation was written by Max Weber, published in 2021 by Creative Media Partners, LLC.
Politics as a Vocation is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.