scholarly journals Simmel’s (non-human) humanism: On Simmel’s ‘ethics of endings and futures’

2020 ◽  
pp. 1468795X2091566
Author(s):  
Mark Featherstone
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Georg Simmel ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Classical Sociology ◽  
Contemporary Social Theory

Given the recent non-human turn in sociology and the social sciences, the popularity of theories of entanglement, and contemporary concern with the concept of the anthropocene, it is easy to forget that classical sociology was always-already aware of the relationship between humanity and non-humanity. Although Daniel Chernilo focuses upon the debate between Sartre and Heidegger in his recent Debating Humanity, and contrasts Sartre’s Humanism with Heidegger’s Anti-Humanism to frame his exploration of the limits of the human in contemporary social theory, we could easily locate the same concern with the human and its relationship to the nonhuman in Marx, Tarde, and centrally for the purposes of this article, the work of Georg Simmel. Expanding upon this insight concerning the relevance of Simmel’s work for understanding our ‘entangled present’, the purpose of this article is to explore Simmel’s work and recent interpretations of his sociology that seek to project Simmelian thought into the future in significantly different ways. To this end, the article critically engages with Pyyhtinen’s recent reading of Simmel’s work that focuses upon his legacy with a view of exploring his future through consideration of (1) Fitzi’s exploration of Simmel’s ethics of the individual, (2) Kemple’s turn to Simmel’s religiosity, and finally (3) Beer’s reading of the late Simmel, who, I suggest might inform the emergence of a kind of non-human humanism capable of thinking beyond the mortal limits of the anthropocene that paradoxically imagines its own post-human immortality.

scholarly journals Debates on Civilization in the Muslim World

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 102-106
Author(s):  
Tauseef Ahmad Parray
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Muslim World ◽  
Brief Assessment ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
Recent Addition ◽  
Different Levels

“Civilization,” which plays a significant role in today’s world, is a termthat has been discussed and debated through the ages and remains so today.In the broader context, and at different levels and contexts (e.g., historical,cultural, and political), it is used to describe “the entirety of collective90human values”; “consequential behavior against barbarism” (or simply “theidea of being civilized”); as a “vision of existence and order”; and, aboveall, as “being an abstraction of modernity and secularism.” One of the mostoft-debated concepts in the social sciences, it has largely been framed byWestern assumptions and concerns; although there are non-Western perspectiveson it as well. A recent addition to the multi-faceted debate on civilizationand modernization vis-à-vis the Muslim world is editor LutfiSunar’s Debates on Civilization in the Muslim World. Sunar is a Turkishsociologist who teaches at Istanbul University.This collective endeavor of (predominantly young) Muslim scholarsseeks to evaluate Muslim views on civilization by challenging the “embeddedprejudices within the social theory” and offering “alternative viewpoints”(p. vii). It presents “a complex assessment of key ideas in themodernist discourse from non-ethnocentric perspectives and offers a newunderstanding of civilization” (p. viii).To achieve this objective, the book has been divided into three mainparts. Part 1, “Defining and Discussing Civilization,” consists of threechapters, by Anthony Pagden, Lutfi Sunar, and Mustafa Demirici, respectively,that review, analyze, and discuss definitions of civilization andmodernity and their “Eurocentric” understandings. Part 2, “Debates on theCivilization in the Contemporary Muslim World,” examines non-Westerncivilizations, efforts to resist against being assimilated in Western perspectivesand dominance. These chapters are contributed by Vahdettin Isik,Cemil Aydin, Necmettin Dogan, Halil Ibrahim Yenigun, Seyed Javad Miri,Mahmud Hakki Akin, and Driss Habti, respectively. Part 3, “Modernization,Globalization, and the Future of Civilization Debate,” features chaptersby Syed Farid Alatas, Yunus Kaya, Murat Cemrek, and KhosrowBagheri Noaparast, respectively. The volume’s overall theme is designed“to expose complex issues for further discussion pertaining to modernization,globalization, (de)colonization, and multiculturalism” (p. vii). As it isdifficult to focus on all the chapters, I provide a brief assessment of someselected ones below ...

Classical sociology meets technology: Doing independent large-scope research

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 977-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaul A Duke
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Social ◽  
Large Scope ◽  
Classical Sociology

During his short-lived but highly productive career, C Wright Mills put forth a vision for how sociology should be done. Two central directives can be gleaned from this vision: to tackle macro social theory issues by doing large-scope research; to achieve scholastic independence by doing non-administrative research. One might ask if Mills is sending scholars on a mission impossible. Analysing these two concepts in terms of both their merits and applicability, the present article indeed identifies a conflict between them, highlighted by what emerges as Mills’ own failure to realize this vision. After deeming these directives worthy goals, the article seeks to determine whether technological advances in the social sciences have the potential to allow both directives to be fulfilled at once. What is shown is that while the technology is ripe to enable autonomous big studies, its implementation by institutional and individual agents severely impedes the vision’s realization.

scholarly journals The Future as a Subject of Social Theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-344
Author(s):  
Alexander Pavlov
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Social Philosophy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Digital Capitalism ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
Natural Capitalism

The subject of this article is a critical analysis of the “concept of the future” as proposed by the British social theorist, John Urry (1946–2016). The author briefly examines the intellectual legacy of the sociologist and his contribution to the creation of a new social theory, pointing out that Urry’s books that were translated into Russian do not fully represent his scientific work, but reflect the later period of his research activity. What is the Future?was the sociologist’s last book and was published the same year he died: we can consider it as a kind of last will. This testament, however, reflects many aspects of the writings of the last sixteen years of Urry’s life. As Urry observes, he challenges the social sciences with his book because the social sciences are still not concerned the future as a subject of research, giving it to the mercy of futurology. This article gives an answer to the question of whether we can actually consider Urry’s book as such a challenge. The author argues that some kind of theoretical weakness is inherent in Urry’s concept. Thus, the sociologist calls for the theory of complex developing systems to help to analyze the future, but the conclusions he comes to do not have any heuristic value. However, as the author of the article notes, Urry’s book is valuable not as a theory, but as an attempt to talk about the future from the perspective of social philosophy and its focus on practice. On one hand, the sociologist uses rich empirical material when talking about utopias and dystopias such as fiction, cinema, publicistics, and reports of various organizations, as examples. On the other hand, when discussing such problems as 3D-printing, urban spaces without cars, climate change, dystopias, and so forth, Urry uses the method of scenarios in offering four scenarios for each phenomenon considered. These scenarios by themselves already allow us to imagine what the future might look like. The final chapter of the book is dedicated to a “low-carbon civil society” and the conceptualization of responsible-to-nature “natural capitalism.” The author of the article puts a special emphasis on this, considering that this concept should be supplemented by other ideas about the newest — digital — capitalism. Finally, the article considers the question of the relationship of Urry’s social theory with the theory of postmodernism.

scholarly journals Anísio Teixeira e as Ciências Sociais * Anísio Teixeira and the Social Sciences

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
KAREN FERNANDA DA SILVA BORTOLOTI
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
New School ◽  
Global View ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Renewal Movement

<p class="Default"><strong>Resumo: </strong>O presente trabalho examina as ideias do educador baiano Anísio Spínola Teixeira entre os anos 1946 e 1960, focalizando as suas concepções acerca das Ciências Sociais, que estiveram presentes nas propostas e práticas do movimento de renovação educacional. Tendo por pressuposto que o pensamento e as realizações de Teixeira devem ser compreendidos dentro do contexto, o trabalho considera a relação do movimento renovador com as ciências sociais. O referencial metodológico empregado adota o princípio de que Teixeira procede a uma apropriação das Ciências Sociais, recontextualizando conceitos e enunciados. O trabalho evidencia Teixeira pensando a educação a partir das Ciências Sociais, compreendendo as exigências da sociedade e as peculiaridades do indivíduo, rompendo a dicotomia entre o particular e o coletivo.</p><p class="Default"><strong>Palavras-chave: </strong>Anísio Teixeira; Ciências Sociais; Escola Nova.</p><p class="Default"> </p><p class="Default"><strong>Abstract: </strong>This paper examines the ideas and actions of Anísio Spinola Teixeira, an educator from Bahia State, between the years 1946 and 1960, focusing on his conceptions of the social sciences, which were significantly present in the proposals and practices of the movement of the Brazilian educational renewal. Taking for granted that the thinking and accomplishments of Teixeira should be understood in the context in which they were developed, the work considers the relationship of the renewal movement in the social sciences. The methodological framework employed adopts the principle that Teixeira held an appropriation of knowledge of Social Sciences, recontextualizing concepts and statements under the situation in which it is situated. This work shows Teixeira thinking education from the references of Social Sciences to formulate a global view of man, including the demands of society and the peculiarities of the individual, breaking the dichotomy between the individual and the collective.</p><p class="Default"><strong>Keywords: </strong>Anísio Teixeira; Social Sciences; New School.</p>

Accent Policy and Accent Modification Enterprises as Potential Indicators of Intercultural Power Relations: A Call for an Updated Research Agenda

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brynne D. Ovalle ◽  
Rahul Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Cultural Organization ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This article has two purposes: (a) to examine the relationship between intercultural power relations and the widespread practice of accent discrimination and (b) to underscore the ramifications of accent discrimination both for the individual and for global society as a whole. First, authors review social theory regarding language and group identity construction, and then go on to integrate more current studies linking accent bias to sociocultural variables. Authors discuss three examples of intercultural accent discrimination in order to illustrate how this link manifests itself in the broader context of international relations (i.e., how accent discrimination is generated in situations of unequal power) and, using a review of current research, assess the consequences of accent discrimination for the individual. Finally, the article highlights the impact that linguistic discrimination is having on linguistic diversity globally, partially using data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and partially by offering a potential context for interpreting the emergence of practices that seek to reduce or modify speaker accents.

Christ Existing as Community

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mawson
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Christian Ethics ◽  
Dietrich Bonhoeffer ◽  
Human Community ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theological Study ◽  
Sanctorum Communio ◽  
The Church

How can theologians recognize the church as a historical and human community, while still holding that it has been established by Christ and is a work of the Spirit? How can a theological account of the church draw insights and concepts from the social sciences, without Christian commitments and claims about the church being undermined or displaced? In 1927, the 21-year-old Dietrich Bonhoeffer defended his licentiate dissertation, Sanctorum Communio: A Theological Study of the Sociology of the Church. This remains his most neglected and misunderstood work. Christ Existing as Community thus retrieves and analyses Bonhoeffer’s engagement with social theory and attempt at ecclesiology. Against standard readings and criticisms of this work, Mawson demonstrates that it contains a rich and nuanced approach to the church, one which displays many of Bonhoeffer’s key influences—especially Luther, Hegel, Troeltsch, and Barth—while being distinctive in its own right. In particular, Mawson argues that Sanctorum Communio’s theology is built around a complex dialectic of creation, sin, and reconciliation. On this basis, he contends that Bonhoeffer’s dissertation has ongoing significance for work in theology and Christian ethics.

scholarly journals Power, Agency, Relationality and Welfare Practice

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
RACHAEL DOBSON
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Working Through ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis article argues that constructions of social phenomena in social policy and welfare scholarship think about the subjects and objects of welfare practice in essentialising ways, with negativistic effects for practitioners working in ‘regulatory’ contexts such as housing and homelessness practice. It builds into debates about power, agency, social policy and welfare by bringing psychosocial and feminist theorisations of relationality to practice research. It claims that relational approaches provide a starting point for the analysis of empirical practice data, by working through the relationship between the individual and the social via an ontological unpicking and revisioning of practitioners' social worlds.

What Makes a Hero? Theorising the Social Structuring of Heroism

Sociology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristian Frisk
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Social Structuring ◽  
The Relationship

The article discusses four dominant perspectives in the sociology of heroism: the study of great men; hero stories; heroic actions; and hero institutions. The discussion ties together heroism and fundamental sociological debates about the relationship between the individual and the social order; it elucidates the socio-psychological, cultural/ideational and socio-political structuring of heroism, which challenges the tendency to understand people, actions and events as naturally, or intrinsically, heroic; and it points to a theoretical trajectory within the literature, which has moved from very exclusive to more inclusive conceptualisations of a hero. After this discussion, the article examines three problematic areas in the sociology of heroism: the underlying masculine character of heroism; the presumed disappearance of the hero with modernisation; and the principal idea of heroism as a pro-social phenomenon. The article calls for a more self-conscious engagement with this legacy, which could stimulate dialogue across different areas of sociological research.

Futures Honed

Futures ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 118-134
Author(s):  
Barbara Adam
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Original Work ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
The Past ◽  
Writing Theory ◽  
Time Space ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
Verse Form ◽  
The Way

This chapter comprises an interview between Barbara Adam and the editors, and is followed by Adam’s ‘Honing Futures’, which is presented in four short verses of distilled theory. In the interview Adam reflects on thirty-five years of futures-thinking rooted in her deeply original work on time and temporality, and her innovative response to qualitative and linear definitions of time within the social sciences. The interview continues with a discussion of the way Adam’s thinking on futures intersects in her work with ideas of ethics and collective responsibility politics and concludes with a brief rationale for writing theory in verse form. In ‘Honing Futures’, a piece of futures theory verse form, Adam charts the movements and moments in considerations of the Not Yet and futurity’s active creation: from pluralized imaginings of the future, to an increasingly tangible and narrower anticipated future, to future-making as designing and reality-creating performance. Collectively, the verses identify the varied complex interdependencies of time, space, and matter with the past and future in all iterations of honing and making futures.

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