Disenchantment of the world: Weber, Judaism, and Maimonides

Abstract

One of the central comparative-historical features of Max Weber’s sociology of religion is his theory of disenchantment, whereby magical forms of social action come to be eclipsed by religious forms. This article explicates Weber’s theory of disenchantment, underscoring his original distinction between magic and religion, while emphasizing the unique and often underappreciated position Judaism occupies in Weber’s theory. I accord special significance to the philosopher Maimonides as a medieval expositor of an ideal typically disenchanted form of Judaism. I apply Weber’s theory of disenchantment as a framework for understanding two central features of Maimonides’ intellectual legacy: (1) Maimonides’ codification of Jewish law; and (2) Maimonides’ philosophical and sociohistorical rationalizations of Biblical commandments. In so doing, I situate Maimonides within the broader discourse of sociology of religion and extend a Weberian analysis of Judaism into the medieval period, demonstrating that the role of Judaism in the historical development of “Western” rationality is not alone a product of antiquity as Weber contended.