Theoretical Analysis of the Approaches of Economic Sociologists and the Social Contexts of Secularization (with Emphasis on Max Weber's Max Weber's Economic Rationality Thought

Subject Areas : Journal of Sociological Studies of Sustainable Development

Mehdi Mokhtarpour ^{1 *}

1 -

Received: 2025-04-12 Accepted : 2025-04-20 Published : 2025-04-20

Keywords: Secularization, economic development, rationality, Max Weber.,

Abstract :

Objective: The main goal of this article is to present a theoretical analysis of the context of secularization of Iranian society by examining the approaches of economic sociologists, especially the thought of Max Weber. In this regard, the theories of thinkers such as Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, the school of modernization, the development perspective, Karl Dobler, Brian Wilson, Malcolm Hamilton, Jean-Paul Willem, and Robert Bella have been used.

Methods: This article uses a documentary research method.

Results: Secularization is one of the factors and, in some cases, one of the major consequences of Western-style development, and its alignment with development is the result of causes and factors, including intra-religious factors such as the type of religion prevalent in Western society, the emergence of the church as the authority to explain religion, and extra-religious factors such as the conflict between science and religion, one-sided secularism, and finally, materialism in Western society.

Conclusion: Accepting the issue of secularization as a factor of development or a definite consequence of development poses problems, both theoretically and practically. Theoretically, due to the different and sometimes contradictory views that exist in this regard, and practically, there are examples of different societies that each follow their own laws, and the type and manner of development in these societies negates this necessary relationship.

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