The Two Sociologies

Compensatory Education: The Underlying Stances and Teachers' Attitudes.

Stereotypes and Prejudice in Conflict: Conclusions and Implications

The micro-macro distinction has become a theme of debate on social theory as a whole, if not one about sociology itself. In an attempt to bring some measure of proportion to the discussion, a few contexts in which the distinction is articulated are examined. Specific attention is given to the relevance of common social knowledge. Contexts examined with this focus in mind include demarcations of the field of sociology, modes of social knowledge in sociological explanation, the elemental components of social reality, methodological contexts in which the micro-macro distinction is employed, and common social knowledge in various social and societal contexts. Special attention is also given to the linkage of actions and beliefs — and the esteemed but ambiguous legacy of Max Weber.

Micro-macro distinction and the relevance of common social knowledge

Erforschung der britischen Gesellschaft

This paper investigates the systemic nature of methodological individualism. According to widespread belief, the notion of autonomy of the actor that is defended by methodological individualism is mistaken because it is incompatible with the study of society in terms of its organized structure. We argue that this viewpoint must be rejected. In our opinion, it stems from confusion between ontological nominalism – the idea that superhuman collective entities do not exist – and reductionism. In contrast, we would argue that methodological individualism is a form of nominalist structuralism. Following Hayek, Popper and Boudon, we will maintain that methodological individualism is not incompatible with the reference to systemic and irreducible properties. As these authors stressed, the history of methodological individualism is full of examples of non-reductionist explanations that undermine the widespread theory of the equivalence between methodological individualism and reductionism. We will state, therefore, that the current debate about methodological individualism is often based on a caricature of the concept of methodological individualism that does not match its correct meaning. In addition, we will provide a criticism of the notion of “structural individualism” that is becoming increasingly popular among social scientists.

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The Two Sociologies

Citations

Compensatory Education: The Underlying Stances and Teachers' Attitudes.

Stereotypes and Prejudice in Conflict: Conclusions and Implications

Micro-macro distinction and the relevance of common social knowledge

Erforschung der britischen Gesellschaft

Nominalism and Systemism: On the Non-Reductionist Nature of Methodological Individualism

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