Max Weber and the Concept of the Political. The Warrior Ethics and Necessity of Guilt

Abstract

According to Max Weber, politics is struggle, violence is its specific mean, and war, its most sublime expression. It is nonetheless inaccurate to define Weber’s perspective as a warlike nationalism, inasmuch as his concept of the political as struggle is contaminated by the introduction of a sense of guilt, which consequently derives in a tragical account of the political. This article aims at understanding Weber’s concept of the political, identifying its inherent tension between struggle and guilt. Firstly, with the help of Leo Strauss, we try to answer the question of how does the guilt work in Weber’s concept of the political. Secondly, a chronological reading of Weber’s oeuvre permits to account for the emergence of this notion of political guilt. It is then argued that Weber’s concept of the political obtains its tragic character from the adoption of elements which pertain to the religious sphere. Finally, a series of conclusions are drawn, concerning Weber’s political thought as well as political contemporary theory in general.