Public Administration in a Disenchanted World: Reflections on Max Weber’s Value Pluralism and His Views on Politics and Bureaucracy

Although Max Weber was pessimistic regarding the effects of rationalization and bureaucracy on human life and freedom, he saw the disenchantment of the world that results from the ascent of science and rationalism and the decline of religious and mystical interpretations of human experience as expanding the capacity for human freedom and moral responsibility. Moreover, he saw agonistic politics as checking the power of bureaucracy. Consequently, despite the conflict between the politicized character of American public administration and Weber’s views on the role of public administrators, his ideas on value pluralism and politics have important implications for American public administration.