Ideology and Elective Affinity

Max Weber's use of the term `elective affinity' is neither consistent nor clear. It is analogous to the concept of ideology, dealing with the relationship of ideas to interests. As such, it can be given a materialist interpretation which would ally it to modern, more sophisticated marxist accounts of ideas in society. Equally, though, it has often been seen as an idealist critique of such accounts. This confusion arises because both idealist and materialist readings ignore the fact that `elective affinity' is not a precise concept at all, but rather an oblique, metonymic reference to Goethe. By exploring that reference to an ambigious and elusive novel, it can be shown that Weber was trying to break away from the dichotomies that typified nineteenth century accounts of belief systems. At the same time, however, in avoiding what he saw as a crudely deterministic concept, `ideology', Weber has instead created one that is largely directionless.