Egyszer volt? Hol nem volt? Marx és Weber a kapitalizmusról
Once upon a Time There Was… or Wasn’t?: Marx and Weber on Capitalism

Summary/Abstract: The interpretations of capitalism by Karl Marx and Max Weber are often subject to comparison based on various criteria. The most significant difference between their approaches is that while Marx assumes that the capitalist mode of production is essentially different from that of previous periods, and accordingly criticises the use of the term “capital” in the context of preceding epochs, Weber frequently suggests that “capital”—and capitalist thought—existed at various points in history around the world. The study analyses relevant passages by Marx and Weber from a socio-philosophical angle, briefly covering the capitalism interpretation of Werner Sombart as well, to argue that this opposition is caused by the differences between the terminology of the two authors, and that their views about their own time show more similarities than previously assumed. These parallels, as demonstrated by Takó, are revealed by comparing Marx’s narrow understanding of capital with Weber’s “capitalist spirit” rather than with what he denotes as “capital.”

• Details
• Contents