Posted: January 4th, 2017

Explain how this violation of the law would be handled in primitive, irrational societies and contrast that with how the this violation of the law will be handled in modern, rational societies.

The rationalization of the Western World was a big part of Weber’s sociology. In our text, you will find a section on Weber’s notion of Rationalization in Various Social Settings. Explain Weber’s notion of rationality in terms of the law, specifically the evolution of societies from primitive, irrational types of law to a more “structured system of formal laws” (Ritzer, 2011, p. 248). In other words, how is criminal justice handled in irrational societies versus rational societies? How does this compare to Durkheim’s thoughts on law in societies characterized by mechanical- versus organic-solidarity? Next, Please choose a current event involving a crime from a news site on the Internet. Explain how this violation of the law would be handled in primitive, irrational societies and contrast that with how the this violation of the law will be handled in modern, rational societies. I’m just looking for a very general discussion of your current event – just a couple of sentences about how the violation would be handled in the two types of societies discussed by Weber and Durkheim (mechanical and organic solidarity [Durkheim] / irrational and rational societies [Weber]).