Paul vs. Baron vs. Weber

This is in a large part re: Jessica's post.

I don't think it's accurate to view Paul as one of Weber's "professional" politicians, either in the sense of a politican who lives FOR his work or as one who lives FROM his work. The reason being that Weber kind of made a dichotomy of motives for each of these types of politicians -- the former is involved in politics because he derives a particular satisfaction (joy derived from power itself) or large-scale economic gain based on his ability to manipulate resources. The latter is essentially "impoverished" and works as a politician in order to earn a wage.

Paul certainly satisfies the requirement that the politician who lives FOR his works come from the leisure class and have non-earned income which allows him to devote his energy completely to the political cause. However, I don't think Paul fits in with Weber's economic expectations for this type of politician. Paul doesn't seem to have any particular selfish desire to manipulate resources or rearrange power in his personal favor. I feel that Paul would have to fit in a third, slightly altered character type -- that of the seemingly-mythical politico-religious Christ-like figure. This is a figure that is absolutely above economic self-interest in his political actions (I do realize that, if the Fremen come out victorious, Paul does stand to be very well respected and would have all the "money" (=water) he could ever want. But not once does this idea come up in the book). Paul really seems to live for the principles of Truth, Justice, and the Fremen way. (A race, mind you, that before Paul's outcast from the dukedom seemed strange, foreign, and possibly threatening to him).

We'll talk more about it in class but I did feel when I was reading that Weber's models do not apply especially well to the Fremen/Paul case...