RESUMO
Distinguishing between the old and the new and analyzing the transition from the former to the latter are challenges that acquired unparalleled centrality in Max Weber's sociology of religion. This article examines how Weber dealt with these challenges and the inherent difficulties in his approach. For Weber, the transition from the old to the new necessarily requires something like a "transformation of man's soul" - or a spectacular break with supposedly traditional mindsets. The argument is that this conceptualization led him to see nonexistent breaks (for example, between the Lutheran and Calvinist mentalities) and to fail to perceive important breaks (for example, between present-day tolerance and that of former ages). By way of conclusion, the article contends that there is an analogy between Weber's sociology of religion and Aristotelian physics, and that Weber's view that historically significant transitions require a "transformation of man's soul" can be better understood in light of this analogy.
Établir la distinction entre le vieux et le neuf et montrer comment on passe de l'un à l'autre sont des enjeux primordiaux dans la sociologie de la religion de Max Weber. Dans cet article, on montre comment Weber les a traités ainsi que ses difficultés à les affronter. Pour Weber, la transition du vieux vers le neuf exige une certaine "transformation de l'âme humaine", ou bien une rupture tranchée avec les types de mentalités tenues pour traditionnelles. On propose que cette conception l'a mené à considérer des ruptures inexistantes (par exemple entre les esprits luthériens et calvinistes) et à ne pas s'apercevoir de ruptures importantes (par exemple, entre la tolérance particulière à nos jours et celle d'époques précédentes). On conclut qu'il y a une analogie entre la sociologie webérienne de la religion et la physique aristotélicienne et que, à la lumière de cette analogie, on peut mieux comprendre ce que Weber veut signifier lorsqu'il affirme que des transitions historiquement significatives demandent une "transformation de l'âme humaine".
RESUMO
Esforços de grandes sínteses teóricas são raros no cenário biológico e se multiplicam facilmente no cenário sociológico. Ao mesmo tempo, enquanto no primeiro caso os esforços ganham status paradigmático, no segundo eles conduzem a uma 'balcanização' da disciplina. O artigo questiona as razões dessa diferença e procura a resposta reconstruindo um esforço de síntese teórica na biologia que já se estende por mais de duas décadas.
Rarely are efforts made to arrive at major theoretical syntheses in the realm of biology, while they are so often successful within the realm of sociology. Furthermore, though these efforts gain paradigmatic status in the former case, in the latter they lead to a 'Balkanization' of the discipline. The article explores what might account for this difference, seeking an answer through the reconstruction of one such effort in biology, which has covered more than two decades.
