Max Weber: The Father of Modern Sociology Max Weber defined sociology as "a science concerning itself with the interpretive understanding of social action and thereby with a causal explanation of its course and consequences" (Weber, 1921, 1968 p.4). This definition of sociology and many of its core principals, developed by Weber himself, are still viable and continue to be studied and used by sociologists today. As is often the case, history is the ultimate judge of the importance of a man's work, and history has certainly shown Max Weber to be one of the founders of modern sociology.Weber was born in 1864 to a Protestant family who had at one time fled Salzburg to avoid Catholic persecution By all accounts he grew up in a home environment that was intellectually stimulating, as his father had a successful political career and as a result his parents often hosted prominent academic and political figures. But Weber's father was a pragmatic, ambitious politician who had little interest in ideals, religion, or intellectualism. By contrast, his mother was a devout Calvinist, who did her best to foster her Christian morals and beliefs in her young son (Coser, p. 234-237).
