Abstract
Societies have risen and fallen throughout history. This theoretical study seeks to understand the process by which societies succeed and fail, how societies evolve over time, and what role an individual leader can play in this evolution. Societal evolution follows a pattern that this study refers to as Punctuated Equilibrium, a term borrowed from evolutionary biology. Societies remain unchanged for long periods of time, and then rapidly change through destructive means in a short timeframe. A synthesis of Max Weber's works on Charisma and Politics as a Vocation with Michel Foucault's work on Parrhesia provides the possibility that a society can adapt to new conditions without having to dismantle and reassemble itself. While modern societies have not achieved this ideal, there may be unique opportunities for institutional reform that past societies have not been afforded.
Advisor
Tierney, Thomas
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Day, Edward Alter, "Max Weber Meets Michel Foucault, and Society Ensues: "Charisma" and "Parrhesia" in Societal Evolution, and Other Musings" (2013). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 1212.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/1212
Disciplines
Theory, Knowledge and Science
Keywords
weber, foucault, charisma, politics as a vocation, parrhesia, arendt
Publication Date
2013
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2013 Edward Alter Day