At the age of thirteen, Max Weber studied the works of Machiavelli and Luther, and at twenty-nine he was already a professor. At some moments he shows himself as a zealous nationalist, but at the same time he becomes interested in the “American way of life.” Max Weber (1864-1920) is not only one of the most influential modern thinkers, but also an incredibly bright, controversial figure in the spiritual life of Germany at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. He suffers from a “nervous illness” typical of his era, works like a man possessed, but never finishes a single book. Even his main work, Economy and Society, was published after the author’s death. Weber's importance as a sociologist and economist, historian and lawyer is widely recognized, and his work has had a huge influence on generations of scientists and politicians around the world - but what influenced his personality? What motivated him? Until now, Max Weber as a person remained a mystery to most of his readers. Jürgen Kaube, one of Germany's best-known science journalists, attempts to understand and make sense of this life on the brink of exhaustion in his fascinating biography of Weber, written on the 150th anniversary of his birth - and at the same time creates a fascinating portrait of the first, decisive phase of the modern era. Jürgen Kaube (b. 1962) studied sociology at the University of Bielefeld (Germany), in 1999 he joined the editorial board of the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung newspaper, heading the department of humanities in 2008, and in 2012 taking up the post of deputy head of the department of science and culture. Also in 2012, he was recognized as Journalist of the Year in the Science category according to Medium Magazin. In January 2015, he became co-editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung and received the prestigious Ludwig Berne Prize.