Abstract:

This paper attempts to reveal the ethical education orientation in Weber's thoughts, focusing on his discussion about ethical significance of science and politics. The historical and social background of Weber's time, including his personal letters and biographies, was explored. This paper argues that in the face of the spiritual crisis of the Wilhelm Ⅱ era, Weber believed that although social science was conceptually abstract in nature, it still could reveal the transcendental value of civilizations and history, and through the description of its objective practice, people could see how value ideals were implemented in reality to produce complex changes and consequences. In his view, social science was not about building a closed abstract worldview, or trying to monopolize the life world. On the contrary, the real social science gave room for diverse beliefs and ethical practices, and offered the possibility of reviving the traditions of many civilizations. The author believes that Weber's ethical education suggests that science can clarify value positions and their practical consequences, and thus helps people cultivate their self-awareness and truth-seeking and matter-of-fact qualities, and practice their ideals in daily work and life. Weber at the same time also warned us of the violent nature of subjective ideals and the complexity and ambiguity of practice. Thus, for modern people, the desirable ethical quality is to combine convictions with a clear sense of reality and responsibility.

Key words: ethic of responsibility, self-clarification, value ideals, ethical personality