What is reification in Georg Lukács’s early Marxist work?

Thesis Eleven ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 157 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-59
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Kavoulakos
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social System ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
Bourgeois Society ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Political Understanding ◽  
Modern Form

After the initial formulation of the concept of reification in Georg Lukács’s History and Class Consciousness (HCC, 1923), a series of confusing uses of it within critical theory have contributed to blurring its contours. In his pre-Marxist work, while analyzing the social rationalization process, Lukács located the modern form of mediation between subject and object and connected it with certain effects on the level of human consciousness and behavior. This very scheme is repeated and refined in HCC. In the Reification essay, Lukács uses the neo-Kantian concept of the “form of objectivity” to grasp the central constitutive form of all kinds of objects in bourgeois society. He interprets Marx’s commodity form as the “archetype” of all capitalist objectivity, which consists in converting qualitative contents into quantitative categories. Thus, the formal/calculative rationality of exchange penetrates all kinds of objectification in modern society. In Lukács’s view, only in its modern, universalized form does rational objectification bring about the phenomenon of reification, i.e. the de-historicization and political neutralization of the social relations that constitute the social system and the dominant forms of consciousness. This systemic, cultural, and political understanding of reification can prove to be fruitful in the context of contemporary discussions on democratic transformative praxis.

scholarly journals Informational Space and Its Subjective Basis

2019 ◽  
pp. 24-34
Author(s):  
Marat Buzskiy
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Social System ◽  
Special Property ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Information Space ◽  
System Stability ◽  
Main Function ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Subject

The article discusses the problem of determining the information space of modern society. Considering modern interpretations of this space, the author notes the widespread approach of describing the properties of this space from the information itself contesting the relationship between the past and the present, their interaction in modern society. Trying to solve the problem we consider the constant function of the social system, i.e. the formation of its specific historical integrity in the form of the universality of the subject - a special property of the system itself expressing the achieved level of social relations of society, forming goals, defining guidelines and patterns of behavior, as well as features of consciousness and ideas of people of this society. The article deals with the peculiarities of four historical forms of universality of the subject – myth, religion, activity and information, their interaction with the social system and personality (social subjects). From this point of view the author believes that the modern information space does not reveal its real subjective potential and should be considered as a formation, since the social system itself and its subject are historically only at the beginning of its existence. The conceptual basis of the article lies in the identification of a special objective regularity – the dialectical interaction of the social system and its subject form generated by the system – a historically reproducing permanent mechanism, which, however, changes its content along with the development of society. The main function of the universality of the subject is to present or express the most common systemic quality as a kind of objective goal of society and at the same time to determine the main direction and nature of socio-spiritual and practical interactions of people in a particular historical era. Thus this subject acts as a special intermediary between specific individuals and the social system. It expresses some general quality of system structures or orders arising in different epochs objectively arising in society. Therefore, the information society and its space are not autonomous in relation to the past, but express the modern stage of this process – the formation of objective conditions of the system stability on the basis of accelerating dynamics of information processes and interactions. And the basis of these conditions, their concentrated manifestation is the universality of the subject in its information "objectification".

scholarly journals Don Quixote and the social system: Interpreting Ronald Laing’s concept of ontological insecurity from Alfred Schütz’ and Talcott Parsons’ theories of social action

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-207
Author(s):  
Christopher Schlembach
Keyword(s):  
Social Action ◽  
Social System ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Don Quixote ◽  
Alfred Schutz ◽  
Talcott Parsons ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Alfred Schütz

Alfred Schütz and Talcott Parsons, two towering authorities of Weberian social thought are rarely interpreted in the same theoretical perspective (with the exception of Harold Garfinkel). This article intends to show that Schütz’s later writings about the constitution of social reality in the pluralized and differentiated modern society and Parsons’s concept of the social system converge with reference to their common problem of understanding interaction. In this article, I use Ronald Laing’s psychiatric thought of the early 1960s as a starting point to discuss some of the points of intersection between Schütz and Parsons. Laing argued that psychosis is not a phenomenon of the individual mind. Rather it must be understood in terms of an interaction system that is constituted by doctor and patient. The patient cannot maintain ego borders strong enough to establish a role-based social relationship and feels ontologically insecure. It is necessary to understand the patient in his existential position which constitutes his self as a kind of role. Schütz and Parsons reflected on similar interaction systems. Schütz analyzed the little social system that is established between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza; Parsons addressed the social system between doctor and patient. It is argued that Schütz and Parsons analyzed the conditions under which a social system can be established, but they also look at its breakdown leading to the situation as described by Laing.

Problem of teaching philosophy with regard for the needs of students in today’s society

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Наталья Плужникова ◽  
Natalya Pluzhnikova ◽  
Сергей Падурец ◽  
Sergey Padurets
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Generation Y ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Young Generation ◽  
Teaching Philosophy ◽  
Cultural Transformations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Applied Knowledge

The article examines modern problems of teaching philosophy in high school. The attention is paid on issues such as reducing the demand for philosophical knowledge in students, especially students of technical specialties. This problem is considered in the context of social-cultural transformations of modern society and its priorities – innovative development, information of the social relations, the relevance of technological skills and applied knowledge among the younger generation. We studied the relation of philosophical knowledge to the needs and value orientations of the modern generation. The authors study the main myths of social consciousness of generation Y: lazy, need to serve instantly the needs, malevolence toward others, selfishness and spoiled. For the analysis of values of modern generation there was used the concept of an American coach-coach B. Hobart about the generation Y. There are the results of regional studies on issues of vital resources of modern man. There is updated the main problem of the young generation – the problem of shortage of vital resources, which are expressed in three dimensions: lack of knowledge, lack of communication and lack of time. The authors analyze the core values of generation Y – the resource knowledge and the resource of freedom of personal choice. Taking into account the transformation of the needs of the students they describe technology lectures on philosophy. They present such contemporary methods of training as brainstorming, method and method criteria. There is an example of the structure and key concepts of the lecture to University students on the topic “Consciousness as a philosophical category”. As necessary components of philosophy education, the authors today highlight the practical orientation, the technological component of practical training, as well as the increasing demands for the preparation of the contemporary teacher in philosophy.

The “Actors” of Modern Society: The Cultural Construction of Social Agency

2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Meyer ◽  
Ronald L. Jepperson
Keyword(s):  
Social Theory ◽  
Social System ◽  
Essential Feature ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Cultural Construction ◽  
Modern Theory ◽  
Modern Culture ◽  
The Core ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The Social

Much social theory takes for granted the core conceit of modern culture, that modern actors—individuals, organizations, nation states—are autochthonous and natural entities, no longer really embedded in culture. Accordingly, while there is much abstract metatheory about “actors” and their “agency,” there is arguably little theory about the topic. This article offers direct arguments about how the modern (European, now global) cultural system constructs the modern actor as an authorized agent for various interests via an ongoing relocation into society of agency originally located in transcendental authority or in natural forces environing the social system. We see this authorized agentic capability as an essential feature of what modern theory and culture call an “actor,” and one that, when analyzed, helps greatly in explaining a number of otherwise anomalous or little analyzed features of modern individuals, organizations, and states. These features include their isomorphism and standardization, their internal decoupling, their extraordinarily complex structuration, and their capacity for prolific collective action.

scholarly journals From Mediation to Mediatisation: the Migration Issue

Monitor ISH ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-94
Author(s):  
Karmen Medica
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Collective Identities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Migrant Communities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Media

The interaction between media and migrants is an integral part of the everyday social context at all levels of modern society, institutional and non-institutional alike. Such dynamism promotes a wide range of social changes and processes. These processes have recently come to be marked by a transition from mediation to mediatisation. While mediation is simply a transfer or transmission of communication by the media, mediatisation involves the active impact of the media on communication in the social and cultural contexts within which this impact can be understood and interpreted. Mediatisation refers to the broader (meta)changes of the media and forms of communication, which in turn cause changes in daily life and in personal and collective identities, as well as in social relations and in society as a whole. Mediatisation is increasingly changing the relationship between the media and society. In the context of the EU, the reporting on migrants tends to be depersonalised. This encourages generalisation, which in its turn reinforces stereotypes and fails to convey a realistic picture of the situation. Another problem identified is the lack of distinctly profiled individuals who could function as representatives of the migrant communities. Moreover, both media and journalists often neglect information coming from direct immigrant sources. The result of this vicious circle is confirmed by the general opinion that migrants typically appear only in cases diverging from the standard, with a strong emphasis on sensational presentation. The integration of migrant communities largely depends on how much they are recognised, identified and found attractive at least by a part of the public. Changes in the form and means of communication further change the forms of grouping and forms of social power. The changes in dealing with migrant issues become evident at three levels: in the media, in politics, and in everyday life.

scholarly journals PERAN ULAMA PEREMPUAN DALAM MEMELIHARA BUDAYA ORGANISASI DI PESANTREN

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-366
Author(s):  
Halimatus Sadiyah
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Social System ◽  
Child Marriage ◽  
Organizational Leaders ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Stability ◽  
And Behavior

Female Ulama are different from female scholars.  If female ulama are female scholars, then female ulama are ulama (both women and men) who have a gender perspective.  The meaning of women has shifted not only biologically, but also ideologically.  The existence of the pesantren is influenced by the values, perceptions, policies, habits and behavior of the people in it.  Has characteristics that can influence the formation of positive attitudes and morals.  Women clerics, or so-called bu Nyai in Javanese terms, are culture creators who play an important role in the pesantren.  The role of organizational leaders in maintaining organizational culture, with a concentration on the issue of eliminating violence against women, preventing child marriage, extremism and environmental fatwas.  The role of female ulam can be seen when determining boundaries, meaning that they are able to create clear cultural differences between one organization and another.  Second, it plays a role in facilitating and generating organizational commitment above individual interests.  Third, the role of bringing a sense of identity to organizational members.  Fourth, plays a role in the stability of the social system.

scholarly journals A Commentary on Ambedkar's Posthumously Published "Philosophy of Hinduism" - Part II

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-16
Author(s):  
Rajesh Sampath
Keyword(s):  
Social System ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
World Religion ◽  
Modern Conception ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Social ◽  
Philosophy And Religion ◽  
The Status

This paper continues the commentary on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s posthumously published Philosophy of Hinduism. Utilizing resources from various modern continental European philosophers and social theorists, particularly of religion, we elaborate on several key passages within Ambedkar’s overall framework of analysis. The paper continues to explore how Ambedkar conceives relations between philosophy and religion, and how historical shifts in general human consciousness have occurred whereby altering both fields. At the core of his being, Ambedkar is concerned with a methodological justification that will enable him to venture into a penetrating critique of the immoral and amoral nature of Hinduism’s social system of caste. In Part I of the commentary, we followed Ambedkar until he arrived at the criteria of ‘justice’ and ‘utility’ to judge the status of Hinduism. He wanted to test whether this Eastern world religion, which descends from antiquity, meets those criteria, which shape the modern conception of religion. In Part II of this commentary, we expand further on Ambedkar’s thesis as to why Hinduism fails to meet the modern conception when those twin criteria are not met. This thought presupposes various underlying philosophical transformations of the relations of ‘God to man’, ‘Society to man’, and ‘man to man’ within which the Hindu-dominated Indian society forecloses the possibility of individual equality, freedom, and dignity. In making contributions to Ambedkar studies, the philosophy of religion, and political philosophies of justice, this paper sets up Part III of the commentary, which will examine Ambedkar’s actual engagement with the classics of Hinduism’s philosophy and thought in general. Ultimately, Ambedkar is undeterred in his original critique of the social and moral failures of the caste system, thereby intimating ambitious possibilities for its eventual eradication.

scholarly journals The Problem of the Stability of the Social System in Ancient Indian Philosophy

Discourse ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 45-54
Author(s):  
V. V. Tuzov ◽  
R. R. Mazina
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Social System ◽  
Indian Philosophy ◽  
Ruling Class ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Law ◽  
Philosophical Texts ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
The Stability

Introduction. The purpose of the article is to show the effect of the law of correspondence as a factor of stability of the social system and the relevance of this problem for ancient Indian philosophy. The problem of the stability of society was not directly considered in ancient Indian philosophy or in modern literature, especially through the prism of the law of correspondence.Methodology and sources. The work uses content analysis, system approach, dialectics and the concept of self-organization. In addition, the main analysis of the problem of stability in ancient Indian philosophy is carried out on the basis of the law of correspondence between the real relations that connect people at a given moment and the essence of the “social”. This law was formulated and proposed by V.V. Tuzov. The essence of the “social” could be conditionally expressed through the concepts of “equality”, “humanism”, mutual assistance, “justice”. Real relations may deviate from the essence, but by a certain amount, a measure. Going beyond the limits of the measure deprives the system of stability, and it becomes uncontrollable. The main source of analysis is the academic edition of the text Arthashastra (ancient Indian political and economic treatise), as well as “History of political and legal doctrines”, “Development of ideas about management in philosophical thought”.Results and discussion. The article analyzes the ancient Indian philosophical texts to reveal in them, in a latent or explicit form, the concern of philosophers with the problem of maintaining the stability of the state and society. Attention is focused on the fact that there is a need to observe the law of conformity in the recommendations for rulers on how to govern the people.Analysis of the main source of ancient Indian philosophy, which deals with the problems of governance, shows that the recommendations to the king, which are set forth by the author of Arthashastra Kautilya, imply, in the end result, the need to maintain a balance of interests between the ruling class and the people, that is, to observe the measure for which society loses its stability due to for the impoverishment of the people. In other words, in the management recommendations, the law of conformity, which was discussed above, appears in a latent form.Conclusion. The problem of the stability of the social system in a class society was and remains extremely relevant. The philosophical law of correspondence between real relations and the essence of social relations, which ensures the stability of society while observing the measure, requires justification. Since the principle of forming relationships and the nature of interaction has remained unchanged for centuries, the reflections of ancient philosophers on management, on the structure of society, on the relationship between different groups in it, and on the interaction of interests, on the one hand, confirm the operation of this law, on the other hand, could be useful for modern management.

scholarly journals Beberapa Karakteristik dan Perilaku Pedagang Pemasaran Komoditas Hasil-hasil Pertanian di Indonesia

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
NFN Syahyuti
Keyword(s):  
Social System ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Interpersonal Relation ◽  
Agricultural Commodities ◽  
Agricultural Marketing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
Positive Perspective ◽  
And Behavior

<p><strong>English</strong><br />Trading and marketing activities related to agricultural commodities generate ambivalence attitude to their actors. In the positive perspective, these probably have an important role, especially as a prime move of agribusiness system. The other side, they are frequently cause some obstacles in developing the agribusiness system; i.e. causing unfairly benefit sharing and inefficiency in the agribusiness system. This paper describes characteristics and behavior of agricultural traders in Indonesia, especially in the social system framework. The subjects of this paper are taken from various research results on agribusiness. Results of this paper are (1) in the agricultural marketing activities usually it can be found three categories of traders which are real trader, stooge trader, and commission trader; and (2) the marketing structure configurations are mostly developed by interpersonal relation and interpersonal trust among agribusiness actors; and (3) among the traders of agricultural commodities, it frequently can be found higher spirit of solidarity compared to that of trader and farmer. In order to develop agribusiness system more comprehensively and efficiently, it is important to understand more deeply and fairly how to generate the benefit sharing equally on their actors.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Indonesian</strong><br />Pekerjaan perdagangan menimbulkan sikap ambivalen bagi pelakunya, yaitu pada sisi positif mereka adalah sebagai motor penggerak sistem agribisnis, namun sebaliknya (sekaligus) pada sisi yang negatif, mereka dianggap sebagai penyebab kekurangadilan serta inefisiensi sistem agribisnis. Tulisan ini merupakan kajian sistem sosial pedagang hasil pertanian. Bahan tulisan berasal dari penelitian-penelitian agribisnis berbagai komoditas pertanian, terutama keragaan subsistem pemasaran dan perilaku pedagang di dalamnya. Beberapa hasil yang dapat dikemukakan adalah: Pertama, kegiatan pemasaran hasil pertanian dilakukan oleh tiga golongan perdagang yaitu pedagang, pedagang kaki tangan dan pedagang komosioner. Kedua, bangunan jaringan tata niaga disndarkan pada sikap saling mempercayai melalui pola interaksi yang cenderung tetap (langganan). Ketiga, dijumpai adanya solidaritas sesama pedagang yang lebih tinggi daripada solidaritas pedagang dengan para pemasok (petani, epternak dan nelayan). Implikasi dari temuan tersebut, maka pembangunan agribisnis secara utuh perlu pemahaman yang lebih mendalam dan proporsional terhadap pedagang dalam rangka melakukan pemberdayaan terhadap subsistem pemasaran demi sistem agribisnis itu sendiri, serta untuk menjamin perolehan yang lebih adil pada seluruh pelakunya.</p>

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