Rationalization (sociology)

In sociology, rationalisation or rationalization refers to the replacement of traditions, values, and emotions as motivators for behavior in society with rational, calculated ones. For example, the implementation of bureaucracies in government is a kind of rationalization, as is the construction of high-efficiency living spaces in architecture and urban planning.

Rationalisation refers to the process of replacing the current values, traditions and emotions of a society, that motivate their current behaviors, with thoughts and actions which appear to be more rational. For example, this could take the form of a Western society attempting to change the cultural traditions and values of a less economically developed country to, in their eyes, benefit them. They replace what they see as an outdated thought process with one more modernized and Westernized. A potential reason as to why rationalization of a culture takes place could be due to the process of Globalisation. Countries are increasingly becoming interlinked, and with a rise of technology it is easier for countries to influence each other through social networking, the media and politics. An example of rationalization in place would be the case of Witch Doctors in certain parts of Africa. Whilst many Africans view them as an important part of their culture and traditions, many Westerners have tried to rationalize the practice in order to educate the Africans on modern medicine and practice (Giddens, 2013).

Many sociologists, critical theorists and contemporary philosophers have argued that rationalization, falsely assumed as progress, has a negative and dehumanizing effect on society, moving modernity away from the central tenets of enlightenment. The founders of sociology were acting as a critical reaction to rationalization:

Marx and Engels associated the emergence of modern society above all with the development of capitalism; for Durkheim it was connected in particular with industrialization and the new social division of labour which this brought about; for Weber it had to do with the emergence of a distinctive way of thinking, the rational calculation which he associated with the Protestant Ethic (more or less what Marx and Engels speak of in terms of those 'icy waves of egotistical calculation').

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