The Institutionalization of Rationality Criteria and the Role of Intellectuals

Abstract

Max Weber’s universal-historical comparative studies on the economic ethics of the world religions focused on the question of how we can explain the historically unique process of rationalization of the conduct of life that has pervaded all life spheres and has, at the same time, liberated the individual and forced him into an “iron cage.” Rationalization leads to intellectualization and therefore to a growing impact of intellectuals. Intellectuals have an impact on institutional reform and are involved in the struggle to increase the scope of validity of certain rationality criteria, and they identify and criticize tensions between different rationality criteria and the respective life areas. The comparatively high expectation of the population with respect to the efficiency of the political system often results in ad hoc-legislation that is basically controlled by the general rationality criterion of conformity with the constitution. The consequence is an extraordinary effectiveness and assertiveness of legal rationality criteria for the governance of the institutional system. An increasing juridification of social relationships follows. However, as effective as judicial coordinative mechanisms are, they should not exclusively define the constellation of rationality criteria or the resulting configuration of the institutional and cultural order of a society.

Translated from German with permission from Springer. Original Publication: Lepsius MR (1990) Über die Institutionalisierung von Kriterien der Rationalität und die Rolle der Intellektuellen. In: Lepsius MR, Interessen, Ideen und Institutionen. Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen, pp. 44–52. Translated and edited by Claus Wendt, University of Siegen/Germany, wendt@soziologie.uni-siegen.de.