Rationalities in History
A Weberian Essay in Comparison

The distinguished historian David d'Avray applies seminal Weberian ideas to the comparative history of religion and the philosophy of law.

D. L. d'Avray (Author)

9780521199209, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 September 2010

224 pages
23.5 x 15.6 x 1.7 cm, 0.49 kg

'Unlike those historians who prefer to remain the prisoner of theories which are held unconsciously, David d'Avray's aim … is to engage explicitly with the 'ideal types' of rationality catalogued in Max Weber's work in order to show their empirical value in the study of the religion of the medieval West … constitute[s] a model of how historians can engage with social theory … clearly and wittily written and resort[s] to technical jargon in order to clarify the argument rather than to obscure it … logically structured and address[es] issues which are of interest not just to medievalists but also to historians of other periods, as well as to philosophers, anthropologists, sociologists and social theorists … draw[s] effortlessly on an impressive range of empirical examples and [is] the product of wide reading in philosophy and social science.' S. H. Rigby, English Historical Review

In Rationalities in History the distinguished historian David d'Avray writes a new comparative history in the spirit of Max Weber. In a strikingly original reassessment of seminal Weberian ideas, d'Avray applies value rationality to the comparative history of religion and the philosophy of law. Integrating theories of rational choice, anthropological reflections on relativism, and the recent philosophy of rationality with Weber's conceptual framework, d'Avray seeks to disengage 'rationalisation' from its enduring association with Western 'modernity'. This mode of analysis is contextualised through the examples of Buddhism, Imperial China and sixteenth-century Catholicism - in the latter case building upon unpublished archival research. This ambitious synthesis of social theory and comparative history will engage social scientists and historians from advanced undergraduate level upwards, stimulating interdisciplinary discourse, and making a significant contribution to the methodology of history. D'Avray explores the potential of this new Weberian analysis further in his companion volume, Medieval Religious Rationalities.

Introduction
1. Universal and specific rationalities
2. The structure of values and convictions
3. The dynamics of values and convictions
4. The value-instrumental interface
5. Formal rationality
6. The formal-substantive interface
Conclusions
Appendix: Rationalities in a case before the congregation of the council.

Subject Areas: General & world history [HBG], Historiography [HBAH], History: theory & methods [HBA]