The social role of intellectuals was a pervasive motif in Weber's thought, particularly in his works on religion and politics. Cpmprehensively examining and extending Weber's work on the subject, Sadri provides a new perspective on the intellegentsia and its role in society, and creates a synthetic typology of intellectuals that spans both Eastern and Western traditions. One of the merits of Sadri's account is the way in which he relates Weber's interpretation of the intellectuals to his underlying philosophical ideas.