<P> Maximilian Karl Emil `` Max '' Weber ( / ˈveɪbər / ; German : ( ˈmaks ˈveːbɐ ) ; 21 April 1864 -- 14 June 1920 ) was a German sociologist , philosopher , jurist , and political economist . His ideas profoundly influenced social theory and social research . Weber is often cited , with Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx , as among the three founders of sociology . Weber was a key proponent of methodological antipositivism , arguing for the study of social action through interpretive ( rather than purely empiricist ) means , based on understanding the purpose and meaning that individuals attach to their own actions . Unlike Durkheim , he did not believe in monocausality and rather proposed that for any outcome there can be multiple causes . </P>
<P> Maximilian Karl Emil `` Max '' Weber ( / ˈveɪbər / ; German : ( ˈmaks ˈveːbɐ ) ; 21 April 1864 -- 14 June 1920 ) was a German sociologist , philosopher , jurist , and political economist . His ideas profoundly influenced social theory and social research . Weber is often cited , with Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx , as among the three founders of sociology . Weber was a key proponent of methodological antipositivism , arguing for the study of social action through interpretive ( rather than purely empiricist ) means , based on understanding the purpose and meaning that individuals attach to their own actions . Unlike Durkheim , he did not believe in monocausality and rather proposed that for any outcome there can be multiple causes . </P>
who said sociology is the science which attempts interpretive understanding of social action
who said sociology is the science which attempts interpretive understanding of social action
Maximilian Karl Emil `` Max '' Weber
Maximilian Karl Emil `` Max '' Weber