A government is an institution that holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence.
Max WeberRead
All the analysis of infinite reality which the finite human mind can conduct rests on the tacit assumption that only a finite portion of this reality constitutes the object of scientific investigation, and that only it is 'important' in the sense of being 'worthy of being known.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that scientific inquiry is limited to a small part of reality, which is deemed important, disregarding the infinite complexities of existence.
Max Weber reflects on the limitations of human understanding when it comes to the vastness of reality. He argues that scientific investigation is inherently confined to a finite subset of that reality, presupposing what is worthy of knowledge and understanding. This perspective invites us to consider the broader dimensions of existence that lie beyond the scope of scientific analysis, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging our limitations in comprehending the infinite complexities of life and reality.
Themes
RealityScienceUnderstandingKnowledgePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a philosophical discussion about the nature of scientific inquiry.
More from Max Weber
All quotes →'Culture' is a finite segment of the meaningless infinity of the world process, a segment on which human beings confer meaning and significance.
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The modern view of criminal justice, broadly, is that public concern with morality or expediency decrees expiation for the violation of a norm; this concern finds expression in the infliction of punishment on the evil doer by agents of the state, the evil doer, however, enjoying the protection of a regular procedure.
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The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization and, above all, by the 'disenchantment of the world.' Precisely the ultimate and most sublime values have retreated from public life either into the transcendental realm of mystic life or into the brotherliness of direct and personal human relations. It is not accidental that our greatest art is intimate and not monumental.
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The purely emotional form of Pietism is, as Ritschl has pointed out, a religious dilettantism for the leisure class.
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Power is the chance to impose your will within a social context, even when opposed and regardless of the integrity of that chance.
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