Passion – feeling of responsibility – sense of proportion. Max Weber on the morality of nobility

Abstract

Based on a variety of primary sources, such as handwritten marginalia in Weber’s copy of Georg Simmel’s essay on Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, the paper concerns itself with Max Weber’s reflexions on the “morality of nobility” [“Moral der Vornehmheit”]. In a first step, it is demonstrated that Weber was very interested in Nietzschean notions of morality. In a second step, it is shown how Weber addresses such notions in his writings. In a third step, it is – a. o. with a view to the essay Politics as Vocation – argued that for Weber, the morality of nobility represents an essential feature of a politician characterized by “real leadership”.