I was just pondering some application of Weber's ideas. There's no necessity for "exhaustion" nor sectarianism. The goal of inner-worldly asceticism could be accomplished by other means. For example, a plain ole work ethic might do. One of the appeals of Islamist, other-worldly mysticism is the principle of least effort, a kind of non-participation, if you will, driven by hedonistic desires. In my mind, it was Parsons who had Weber down the best in this regard, not so much in reconciling hedonism with sociological peace, but in devising a system of action (adaptation) involving willful participation in community affairs. However, as Parsonian systems rely so heavily on pre-existant norms and roles, the problem comes back to conflict with customs and folkways (or maybe I've got this conflict stated wrong). I only have an undergraduate degree in anthropology. Can somebody fill me in on what conflict I'm doing so badly at describing?