The Study Of Max Weber's “Verwandtschaft” And Sociology Of Religion

"Verwandtschaft"(affinity)is a special concept used by Weber when discussing the relationship between the Protestant ethic and the spirit of Capitalism.However,it was not paid enough attention to by the scholars.The number of relevant researches is very few and there are many important questions left unsolved.However,we can see Weber's attitude to the research of historicalcultural phenomenon and his approach to relevant research from this concept,although it seems not so important in Weber's sociological studies.There were some scholars who have not realized the specialty of the concept and treat it simply as the concept of "correlation",which indicates a strong causal relationship in contemporary sociology.However,the approach of Weber's sociology is completely different from today's positivism.This paper tries to trace the origin of the concept of "Verwandtschaft".And have found two specialties of it.On one hand,the entities which have "Verwandtschaft" are separately developed instead of deciding each other.On the other hand,"Verwandtschaft" indicates contingency and certainty at the same time.From which we can see the total difference from "causal relationship" in a logical structure.In Weber's view,historical entities as a cultural phenomenon have their own path of development.Not only religious Reform but also the evolution of Capitalism have their own special goal.And it was total "accident" that the spirit of Capitalism which originates from the religious realm provide a persistent impetus for economic activities.And it was a total accident that this power has led to the prosperity of modern Capitalism.So it is quite clear,that Weber's attitude is totally different from the idea of historical Materialism and he would not agree that religious Reform has created modern Capitalism.The historical phenomenon is actually more complicated than we normally thought.We might not reach the real logic of social phenomenon through a causal relationship which is normally clear.It is very likely that the truth of facts is the opposite of causality.Through the idea of "Verwandtschaft",we can see more clearly the interaction of the historical power and learn more about the complex cultural phenomenon which cannot be conceived only through the view of causality.