German scholar Max Weber had an enormous impact on the development of
sociology. While attacking Marx’s ideas, Weber actually arrived at a related
conclusion about life under industrial capitalism. Max Weber contributed the idea
of rationalization to sociology. This is the replacement of traditional thinking with
thinking that emphasizes deliberate calculation, efficiency, self-control, and
effectiveness in the accomplishment of specific goals. Weber felt that rationalization
and industrialization occurred simultaneously. He believed that rationalization
increased efficiency within society but warned that cold calculation could not replace
the warmth of close social ties.