Читать книгу Essential Concepts in Sociology - Anthony Giddens - Страница 39

As Weber himself saw, the process of rationalization does not inevitably lead to progressive development, but it can produce contradictory outcomes and new social problems. However, there are also criticisms of the rationalization thesis itself. Although capitalism continues to dominate the world’s economies, the extent to which bureaucracies in the traditional mould remain dominant can be questioned. Over recent years, there has been a growth in looser organizational forms that are based more on a network structure than on the hierarchical model outlined by Weber (van Dijk 2012). The question is, do such networked organizations still promote formal rationality? Rationalization is also linked to the fate of religion, and some sociologists have argued that, far from receding, religion enjoyed a resurgence in the late twentieth century, with religious fundamentalism, televangelism and a range of new religions emerging. Does this represent a ‘re-enchantment of the world’ which runs counter to Weber’s rationalization thesis?