SOC 201 Chapter 1.12: SOC 201 Chapter : Chapter 1.12
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In everyday life, we usually compare rational behavior and irrational behavior, as if to suggest that rational behavior is the only behavior that makes sense. If you have a goal and you sit down to plot how to achieve that goal most efficiently, that is being rational. The opposite of rational for weber was not ir rational, but non rational or noncalculating. To weber, nonrational behavior was behavior that was not especially geared to achieving some goal but was simply to be experienced or appreciated for itself. As he studied history, weber discovered that people in premodern societies were more likely to engage in nonrational behavior. That is, they were less calculating and less concerned about achieving larger ends; they did things simply because such acts were pleasing. For example, when a premodern person had enough to eat and was living a comfortable life, he or she stopped working.
