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Who was Max Weber? How did he live? What were his dreams, desires and designs? What relationship existed between his life, his illness and his work? Why are his studies of capitalism and China still so important today?This book throws light on a problem-riddled Weber, a man lacerated by tragic contradictions, a great intellectual, nationalistic yet cosmopolitan. This investigation of his private life reveals a tender, impassioned man, who, at a time of overwhelming conflict, sought true life in love. Whether Confucianism impeded the birth of modern capitalism in China remains a controversial issue. Equally problematic is the theory of the Calvinistic origins of European capitalism. Weber, however, answers both questions in an original manner, while also providing a lesson in methodology which remains unparalleled to date. A century after his death, Max Weber remains a controversial figure of the political and social sciences.

Nelle scienze sociali occupa ancora un ruolo centrale il pensiero di Max Weber sulle origini e i tratti della modernità. Le critiche formulate da filosofi e sociologi di civiltà non occidentali alla teoria weberiana della modernità hanno reso però necessario approfondire alcuni suoi aspetti. In particolare, è stato abbandonato il concetto di unicità della modernità e di 'eccezionalità' della modernità europea e occidentale. Il mondo contemporaneo è segnato invece dalla presenza di processi di modernizzazione molteplici, che coniugano in forme diverse le proprie tradizioni culturali con i tratti generali della modernità. Il saggio traccerà dunque la storia del rapporto fra modernità euro-americana e modernità asiatiche, cinese in particolare; grande importanza sarà accordata alla complessità degli scenari geoeconomici e politico-culturali in cui ciascuna realtà è stata negoziata nel tempo. Max Weber's reflections on modernity still plays a pivotal role in the development of the social sciences. However, the criticism to Weber's theory formulated by non-Western philosophers and sociologists has made it necessary to delve deeper into its features. In particular, the supposed uniqueness and "exceptionality" of Western and European modernity has been questioned. Today we witness the presence of different processes of modernization, which blend in various ways specific cultural contexts and traditions with the general ("universal") traits of modernity. The essay maps out the history of the relationship between Euro-American modernity and Asian modernities, in particular Chinese modernity; great emphasis will be given to the complexity of geo-economic, cultural and political scenarios as the result of long-term processes of negotiation.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Proskýnesis in Herodotus's Histories -- An Enquiry on Alexander: Apotheosis, Multicultural Empire and Clash of Civilization -- La Dimension Manifestaire du ces. image Identitaire du Groupe -- Proskýnesis at the Centre of the Clash of Civilizations -- Proskýnesis in the Euroasiatic Continent: Unity and Diversity -- Conclusion -- Dialogue between the Old Oligarch and the Neo-illuminist -- A Short Glossary of the Main Terms and the Main Characters -- Bibliography -- Index of Names.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Knowledge Transmission and Universality of Man in Global Society -- The Other and the Paradoxes of Universalism -- Religion, Human Rights and Political Conflicts -- Europe: Common Values and a Common Identity -- The Public Sphere and Political Space -- America and Europe: Carl Schmitt and Alexis de Tocqueville -- Identity and Human Rights: A Glance at Europe from Afar -- Human Rights, Universalism and Cosmopolitanism -- Bibliography -- Index of Names.