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From Mill to Weber: the meaning of the concept of economic rationality

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  • Michel Zouboulakis

Abstract

Weber recognized explicitly that his concept of ideal-type is directly borrowed from economic theory and as it is commonly admitted from the German-speaking 'marginalist school'. Nevertheless, the construction of ideal-types reminds greatly the definition of economic rationality made by John Stuart Mill, who also built up a concept to explain, in individualistic terms, the real world in a given historical and geographical context. The position defended here is that Weber generalizes Mill's methodological proposition of concept formation regarding economic rationality to accomplish his much larger project of determining the social factors responsible for the rationalization of the Western civilization.

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  • Michel Zouboulakis, 2001. "From Mill to Weber: the meaning of the concept of economic rationality," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 30-41.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eujhet:v:8:y:2001:i:1:p:30-41
    DOI: 10.1080/09672560010015431
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hollander, Samuel & Peart, Sandra, 1999. "John Stuart Mill's Method In Principle and Practice: A Review of the Evidence," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(4), pages 369-397, December.
    2. Joseph Persky, 1995. "The Ethology of Homo Economicus," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 221-231, Spring.
    3. Whitaker, J K, 1975. "John Stuart Mill's Methodology," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 83(5), pages 1033-1049, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bessire, Dominique & Onnée, Stéphane, 2010. "Assessing corporate social performance: Strategies of legitimation and conflicting ideologies," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 445-467.

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