This thesis analyses the ways in which the work of Jean-Frangois Lyotard, Michel Foucault, and Jean Baudrillard develops Max Weber's analysis of the rise, nature, and trajectory of modem culture. Further to this, it exan-dnes the strategies which may be drawn from the work of each of these theorists to enable resistance to the further rationalisation and disenchantment of the world. This research, first, addresses Weber's analysis and critique of the rationalisation process, focusing in particular on his account both of the rise of instrumental rationalism in the West and of the differentiation of modem culture. Second, it exan-dnes the forms of resistance to rationalisation which are advanced by Weber in his lectures 'Science as a Vocation' and 'Politics as a Vocation', focusing on his attempt to place limits on the uses of instrumental rationalism and thereby protect the realm of ultimate values from further disenchantment. Third, it examines the commonalities between Weber's rationalisation thesis and the analyses and criticisms of the modem order forwarded by Lyotard, Foucault, and Baudrillard. It is held that the work of these three 'postmodem' theorists develops Weber's account of the rationalisation of the modern world, even if this is rarely, if ever, acknowledged. On this basis, the thesis analyses the strategies employed by Lyotard, Foucault, and Baudrillard to transgress the limits of modern rationalism, and disrupt or even undo the rationalisation process. This analysis centres on the following: Lyotard's celebration of cultural difference and his commitment to the development of radical forms of artistic experimentation, Foucault's counter-historical or genealogical practice, and Baudrillard's theory of symbolic exchange and seduction. 1 14 Karl L6with, Max Weber and Karl Marx, p. 62. J0rgen Habermas adopts much the same position in The Theory of Communicative Action. He states that 'Weber left his work behind in a fragmentary state; nevertheless, using his theory of rationalisation as a guideline, it is possible to reconstruct his project as a whole', The Theory of Communicative Action Volume One, p. 143. One may note in passing, however, that Habermas's reconstruction of Weber's project proceeds by situating his rationalisation thesis within an underlying 'philosophy of consciousness', a philosophy which Habermas then turns to as his point of attack against Weber.15 Parsons argues, for example, that 'Weber's central methodological concern was to vindicate the necessity for general theoretical concepts in the sociohistorical sciences. But the only kind of general concepts for which he provided an explicit methodological clarification was his general ideal types.
This... is a hypothetically concrete type which could serve as a unit of a system of action or social relationships', The Structure ofSocialAction Volume 2, p. 640. One may note in passing that the ideal type is not in fact a 'hypothetically' concrete type. Weber states: 'The ideal-typical concept will help to develop our skills in imputatio...