Maximilian Weber

Maximilian Karl Emil "Max" Weber was a German sociologist, philosopher and political economist of the late 19th and early 20th century whose works and wide-ranging ideas have greatly influenced social theory, social research and the entire academic discipline of sociology. He is, along with Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx, considered one of the founding fathers of modern sociology.

He was the author of many important and influential works on economic sociology and the sociology of religion and an advocate of interpretive methodology (placing an emphasis on understanding the purpose and meaning of human activity) rather than the “empirical” approach that concentrates on the collection and interpretation of data.