WHAT WOULD WEBER HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY CAPITALISM?

Abstract

This essay aims to highlight some of the possible contributions of the Weberian perspective to the analysis of contemporary capitalism. To this end, it presents an excerpt from doctoral research in its initial phase at PPGSP/UENF, which aims to understand the formation and maintenance process of the set of values, principles and norms that, in the current structure of capitalism, have been guiding lives towards the entrepreneurial spirit. The research has been using the theoretical contributions of Max Weber (2014) about the spirit and form of capitalism as a guiding thread of the analysis, believing that, from this core, it is possible to verify how social structures and individual actions interact with each other, influencing up continuously. Weber's two-sided, multi-level and explanatory proposal allows the researcher to incorporate the complex interactions and interconnected and multifaceted dimensions of contemporary capitalism. Due to these characteristics, the Weberian perspective offers a powerful reference for theoretical and empirical research that deals with the analysis of contemporary capitalism.