Rationalization

Change from tradition to rationality as a dominant mode of human thought.

Rationality:

Deliberate, matter of fact calculation of the most efficient means to accomplish any particular goal.

Traditional Thinking:

Sediments and beliefs about the world that are passed on intergenerationally. Action reflects what has always been done.

Examples:

Education ==>

• Traditional: Do it because it's good to do. Learning for learning's sake. (B.A.)
• Rationality: Do it because it can lead to a high paying job. (B.S.)

Manufacturing===>

• Traditional: Guild, Craftsman.
• Rationality: Assembly line. (Scientific Management)

Rationalization shapes entire Society:

• Formal Institutions: Organization==> Bureaucracy
• Personal Discipline (Protestant Ethic/Work Ethic)
• Awareness of time ("Time is money")
• Technical Competence (Merit- what you do versus who you are)
• Impersonality (interaction formalized and distanced)(1)

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URL: http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/010/rational.html
Owner: Robert O. Keel rok@umsl.edu
References and Credits for this Page of Notes
See also: John Macionis, Sociology, 6th ed., Prentice Hall, 1997, pages 110-115; and George Ritzer, Classical Sociological Theory, McGraw-Hill, 1992, Chapter 7.
Last Updated: Sunday, August 18, 2002 1:22 PM