Max Weber'S Theory of Authority:: A Critical Analysis

MAX WEBER’S THEORY OF
AUTHORITY:
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Made By:
Sanjivan Chakraborty
SM0116038
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
 What is Authority?
 What is Max Weber’s theory of authority?
 What is the relevance of Max Weber’s theory of

authority?
 Critical analysis of Max Weber’s theory of

authority?
LITERATURE REVIEW:
 KEN MORRISON, MARX, DURKHEIM, WEBER:
FORMATION OF MODERN SOCIAL THOUGHT,
Publication: Sage, 2nd Edition, 2008
 DANA WILLIAMS , MAX WEBER: TRADITIONAL,

LEGAL-RATIONAL AND CHARISMATIC
AUTHORITY.
 HANNAH ARENDT , WHAT IS AUTHORITY?, 1954.
 SCOTT HERSHOVITZ , PHILLOSOPHER’S IMPRINT:

Role of authority , volume 11, no. 7, March 2011.
INTRODUCTION:
 Max Weber is a influential sociologists. He proposed a theory of
authority with included three parts.
 According to his theory their were three parts: Traditional,

Charismatic and Legal-Rational.
 In Traditional Authority, Weber talks about the ancient ways of

authority were authority was hierarchy based.
 In Charismatic Authority, Weber talks about, the authority people

get when others are influenced by their personality.
 And Legal-Rational is the modern way of government authority.

The democratic and bureaucratic type of authority.
WHAT IS AUTHORITY:
 “Authority” refers to the right of a ruler within an established order
to issue command to other and the expectation that they will be
obeyed.
 Historically there were two type of elements of authority:
 First, was the concern for the legitimacy of the ruler’s power, and
the perception by others that the rulers authority was legitimate for
those who were subject to it.
 Second, was the development of ‘Administrative Apparatus’ in

which subordinates and various personnel carry out commands of
the ruler. Essentially, the term legitimacy refers to the extent to
which officials, groups and individuals actively acknowledge the
validity of the ruler in a established order.
MAX WEBER ON AUTHORITY:
 Max Weber, in his sociological and philosophical work,
identified and distinguished three types of legitimate
domination.
 Weber defined domination (authority) as the chance of

commands being obeyed by a specifiable group of people.
Legitimate authority is that which is recognized as
legitimate and justified by both the ruler and the ruled.
 Max Weber gave three type of authority: (i) Traditional

Authority, (ii) Charismatic Authority, (iii) Legal-Rational
Authority.
RELEVANCE OF WEBER’S THEORY:
 The relevance of Max Weber’s theory of authority can be shown by its present day
examples and applications. If the theory is applicable in present day situations than
Weber’s theory is relevant.
 We can find the relevance by the following examples:
 Example 1: The US invasion in Iraq.
 It was the strongest type of charismatic authority that , embodied by US President

George W. Bush.
 Traditional authority as the basis for the pro-invasion sentiment of the country.
The nation has a long tradition of foreign military invasion, many hundreds of
episodes since its founding, and the philosophy, means, and “necessity” to invade
other countries are entrenched in American institutions.
 Legal authority also conflicted with charismatic authority internationally, as Bush

flaunted international law and the United Nations by moving towards a clearly
illegal act. Even though it was illegal, the legal authority of the UN was not enough
to enforce international law or to stop a US invasion.
CONTINUE:
 Example 2: North American anarchist movement.
 The anarchist reaction to various kinds of authority is fundamental. Anarchism

opposes any authority that is placed above the individual and collective interest.
 Anarchism rejects the authority of any idea or institution that supports itself
merely on the merit of being “tradition”.
 The North American anarchist movement itself adheres to none of Weber’s

authority types. At its core, anarchism is explicitly anti-authoritarian.
 The fundamental principle of Anarchism is the rejection of authority, with the

possible exception of ‘natural authority’.
 From this examples we can see that relevance is depended on different

situations. In one his theories are relevant and in another the theories are not
relevant.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY:
 In traditional authority Weber explains that, authority is traditional.
 According to him, when its legitimacy is based on tradition and

custom and on the ‘sanctity of age old rule and power’.
 Compliance to traditional authority is owed not to an objective

system of legal rule but to the framework of obligations which binds
individuals to the ruler by personal loyalties.
 This type of authority rests on an established belief that leaders have

a traditional and legitimate right to exercise authority, where
different traditional circumstances enable and legitimize those in
command to exercise authority.
 This traditional authority gives rise to patrimonial systems like e.g.

patriarchal and feudalistic systems and societies.
CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY:
 In Charismatic authority Weber explains that, here the “leader or
ruler is not selected by any hierarchy, nor are they trained leaders or
rulers, the leader or ruler selects its own followers who wish to follow
him, who commits themselves to ‘serve’ the leader because of their
beliefs in their leader’s power.
 This type of authority rests on the belief in an exceptional sanctity,

heroism or exemplary character of an individual, and on the
normative patterns or orders revealed and issued by him or her.
 Charismatic leaders are often seen as legitimate in times of crisis or

change when extraordinary leadership is called for, and when this
extraordinary leadership is recognized in the specific authorial figure
by followers.
LEGAL-RATIONAL AUTHORITY:
 The third type of authority that Weber discussed is the legal domination.
 The legal- rational authority is the modern form of authority, which

includes the government, bureaucracy, etc.
 It is modern form of authority, including all the modern and developed

forms of authority.
 This type of authority rests on the belief in the "legality" of formal rules
and hierarchies, and in the right of those elevated in the hierarchy to
posses authority and issue commands.
 This type of authority is often seen as legitimate in bureaucratic systems,

which enables impersonal, specific and formal structures of modern
companies. For Weber, this bureaucratic administration means
fundamentally the exercise of control on the basis of knowledge.
 People will hence find this type of authority legitimate, if the authority is
distributed to leaders based on e.g. rationality and capability.
CONCLUSION:
 According to Max Weber there are three types of authority: (i)
Traditional, (ii) Charismatic, (iii) Legal-Rational.
 Traditional authority is the authority where authority is hierarchy

based.
 Charismatic authority is one where, one gets authority when

people gets influenced by someone and gives him the authority.
 Legal-Rational authority is the bureaucratic systems of authority.
 The relevance of his theories are dependent on the situations.
 Overall Weber gave a very legitimate theory of authority. Which

included all the types of authority, and is very much relevant
excluding few situations.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
 KEN MORRISON, “MARX, DURKHEIM, WEBER:
FORMATION OF MODERN SOCIAL THOUGHT”,
Publication: Sage, 2nd Edition, 2008
 DANA WILLIAMS , “MAX WEBER: TRADITIONAL,

LEGAL-RATIONAL AND CHARISMATIC
AUTHORITY”.
 HANNAH ARENDT , “WHAT IS AUTHORITY?”,

1954.
 SCOTT HERSHOVITZ , “PHILLOSOPHER’S

IMPRINT: Role of authority” , volume 11, no. 7, March
2011.

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MAX WEBER’S THEORY OF

 What is Max Weber’s theory of authority?

 What is the relevance of Max Weber’s theory of

 Critical analysis of Max Weber’s theory of

 DANA WILLIAMS , MAX WEBER: TRADITIONAL,

 HANNAH ARENDT , WHAT IS AUTHORITY?, 1954.

 SCOTT HERSHOVITZ , PHILLOSOPHER’S IMPRINT:

 According to his theory their were three parts: Traditional,

 In Traditional Authority, Weber talks about the ancient ways of

 In Charismatic Authority, Weber talks about, the authority people

 And Legal-Rational is the modern way of government authority.

 Historically there were two type of elements of authority:

 Second, was the development of ‘Administrative Apparatus’ in

 Weber defined domination (authority) as the chance of

 Max Weber gave three type of authority: (i) Traditional

 We can find the relevance by the following examples:

 Example 1: The US invasion in Iraq.

 It was the strongest type of charismatic authority that , embodied by US President

 Legal authority also conflicted with charismatic authority internationally, as Bush

 The anarchist reaction to various kinds of authority is fundamental. Anarchism

 The North American anarchist movement itself adheres to none of Weber’s

 The fundamental principle of Anarchism is the rejection of authority, with the

 From this examples we can see that relevance is depended on different

 According to him, when its legitimacy is based on tradition and

 Compliance to traditional authority is owed not to an objective

 This type of authority rests on an established belief that leaders have

 This traditional authority gives rise to patrimonial systems like e.g.

 This type of authority rests on the belief in an exceptional sanctity,

 Charismatic leaders are often seen as legitimate in times of crisis or

 The legal- rational authority is the modern form of authority, which

 It is modern form of authority, including all the modern and developed

 This type of authority is often seen as legitimate in bureaucratic systems,

 Traditional authority is the authority where authority is hierarchy

 Charismatic authority is one where, one gets authority when

 Legal-Rational authority is the bureaucratic systems of authority.

 The relevance of his theories are dependent on the situations.

 Overall Weber gave a very legitimate theory of authority. Which

 DANA WILLIAMS , “MAX WEBER: TRADITIONAL,

 HANNAH ARENDT , “WHAT IS AUTHORITY?”,

 SCOTT HERSHOVITZ , “PHILLOSOPHER’S

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