Weber recognized the power of new technology and its abilities to shape people's ideas. He saw modern society as a product of not only technology and capitalism, but of a new way of thinking. Weber argued that as technology advanced people were less inclined to live their lives according to tradition; they moved toward a more rational view, meaning matter-of-fact calculation of the most efficient method to accomplish a goal. Sentiment and tradition have no place in a rational world view, which treats tradition as merely one type of information. Modern rationalists typically act and think on the basis of present or future consequences. According to Weber, we view almost every relationship on what we put in and what we get out. Weber viewed the Industrial Revolution and capitalism as the historical rising of rationality. He coined the term, rationalization of society, to describe the change from tradition to rationality as the dominant mode of human thought. A good way to measure a society's rationality is their willingness to adopt a new technology. Look at the amount of homes with an Internet connection or cable television. According to Weber, North America and western Europe are two of the most rationally advanced areas in the world. Countries where they have not yet had an introduction to industry are slow to adopt to rationality, sticking with their traditional ways of life. A good example of this are the Yanomamo people of Brazil. They hunt and gather for their food, as well as some small scale horticulture. They dismiss the need for modern conveniences like telephones that we take for granted. In short, they have a very different outlook on the world than we do, living in a rational society. .
Neither theory is entirely correct. As society adapts to new technology, new ideas are being formed to adapt to our rapidly changing world. Marx had several things right when it came to the class system of the proletariat and the capitalists but his vision of a world-wide class struggle never occurred.