<P> In sociology, the iron cage is a term coined by Max Weber for the increased rationalization inherent in social life, particularly in Western capitalist societies . The "iron cage" thus traps individuals in systems based purely on teleological efficiency, rational calculation and control . Weber also described the bureaucratization of social order as "the polar night of icy darkness". </P> <P> The original German term is stahlhartes Gehäuse; this was translated into "iron cage", an expression made familiar to English language speakers by Talcott Parsons in his 1930 translation of Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism . This choice has been questioned recently by scholars who prefer the more direct translation: "shell as hard as steel". </P> <P> Weber (in Parsons' translation) wrote: </P>

Where does weber talk about the iron cage