| Description |
1 online resource (243 pages) |
| Series |
Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought |
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Routledge studies in social and political thought.
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| Contents |
Cover; Individualism in Modern Thought; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; Preface; 1 Introduction; The 'abuse of reason'; Political economy and the discovery of unintentional order; The birth of sociology and intentional order; The 'revolt against individualism'; The alliance against the open society; 2 Bernard de Mandeville and Adam Smith: the theory of the 'great society'; Man, a social animal; Needs and the division of labour; Can a 'commercial society' survive?; The advantage of Ego and the advantage of the Other: the 'invisible hand'; Ateleological development |
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Mandeville: the service rendered by others is always a meansSmith: the service rendered by others is always a means (on the principle of 'sympathy'); 'The Adam Smith problem'; The consistency of Smith's theory; Some conclusions; 3 Which method? A question about the philosophy of the social sciences; Unintentional order and the individualistic method; The 'individualistic' method makes clear the sodal link; The individualistic method and the errors of psychologism; Auguste Comte: the collectivistic method and the impossibility of the 'great society'; Karl Marx: between politics and science |
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4 Durkheim and the application of the collectivistic methodDurkheim versus the 'great society'; The state as independent variable; Durkheim and political economy; Is society a 'sui generis' reality?; Society is not a 'sui generis' reality; Between positivism and idealism; 5 Is an 'individualistic' reading of Durkheim possible?; The elements that justify an 'individualistic' reading of Durkheim; Durkheim under the 'individualistic' lens; Is it possible to reconcile Durkheim and Spencer?; Is it possible to reconcile Durkheim and Simmel? |
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6 Economists and sociologists compared: Carl Menger and Georg Simmel, Ludwig von Mises and Max WeberCarl Menger: methodological individualism and 'marginalistic revolution'; The 'convergences' between Carl Menger and Georg Simmel; Ludwig von Mises: the theory of action in the development of Austrian marginalism; The 'convergences' between Max Weber and Ludwig von Mises; Mises's criticism of Weber's quadripartition of meaningful action; 7 The early Parsons: between sociology and economics; The 'death' of Spencer and the expulsion of Simmel |
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The misunderstanding of the rational construction of preferencesIn search of the 'voluntaristic-creative' element; The problem of the 'common system of ultimate ends'; The 'sociologistic theorem'; The missing solution; Economic cost and social obligation; 8 Conclusions; 'Let us learn to be selves'; Sociology and economics; The task of the social sciences; Notes; References; Index |
| Summary |
This book is a comprehensive survey of methodological individualism in social, political and economic thought from the Enlightenment to the 20th century. Exploring the works of such figures as de Mandeville, Smith, Marx, Spencer, Durkheim, Simmel, Weber, Hayek, Popper and Parsons, this study underlines the contrasts between methodological collectivism and methodological individualism. The detailed analysis offered here also reveals the theoretical presuppositions behind the collectivist and individualist traditions and the practical consequences of their applications. Infantino concludes in fa |
| Notes |
Print version record |
| Form |
Electronic book
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| ISBN |
9781317798323 |
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1317798325 |
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