Sociological Insights of Great Thinkers

Informationen zum Autor Christofer Edling is professor of sociology at Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany. Jens Rydgren is professor of sociology at Stockholm University, Sweden. Klappentext In this book, leading sociologists expand the scope of their discipline by revealing the sociological aspects of the works of great philosophers, scientists, and writers.Sociologists have long recognized that sociological insight can be gleaned from creative thinkers outside their formal discipline. Sociological Insights of Great Thinkers: Sociology through Literature, Philosophy, and Science captures and examines those insights in 32 essays that discuss scholars and writers not normally associated with any sociological school of thought.Following a tradition of enriching the sociological toolkit by finding influence in philosophy and literature, the volume's contributors-an international group of renowned scholars-eschew biography to focus solely on sociological interpretations that can be drawn from the work of many of history's preeminent thinkers. Among the book's subjects are philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, Kant, and Cassirer; scientists such as Darwin and Galileo; and authors such as Kafka, Proust, and Shakespeare. The essays not only allow readers to see such thinkers in a new light, but underscore the fact that sociological questions have lain at the very heart of humanity throughout history. Zusammenfassung In this book! leading sociologists expand the scope of their discipline by revealing the sociological aspects of the works of great philosophers! scientists! and writers. Sociologists have long recognized that sociological insight can be gleaned from creative thinkers outside their formal discipline. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface CHAPTER 1. Introduction Christofer Edling and Jens Rydgren Part I. Sociological Illustrations CHAPTER 2. William Shakespeare: On Social Stratification Hiroshi Ono CHAPTER 3. Plato: Seven Sociological Ideas for the Happy Life Guillermina Jasso CHAPTER 4. Franz Kafka: Bureaucracy, Law, and Abuses of the "Iron Cage" Joachim J. Savelsberg CHAPTER 5. Marcel Proust: On Social Status and Capital Forms Jens Rydgren CHAPTER 6. George Orwell: From Democratic Revolution to Authoritarian Rule Karl-Dieter Opp CHAPTER 7. Robert Musil: State, Nation, and Nationality Helmut Kuzmics CHAPTER 8. August Strindberg: Forms of Interaction Christofer Edling CHAPTER 9. Henrik Ibsen: The Power of Charisma Fredrik Engelstad CHAPTER 10. Chinua Achebe: Colonial Anomie Wendy Griswold Part II. Sociological Concepts CHAPTER 11. Ernst Cassirer: Science, Symbols, and Logics John W. Mohr CHAPTER 12. Cicero: Persons and Positions Lars Udehn CHAPTER 13. Charles Darwin: Selfishness and Altruism Wendelin Reich CHAPTER 14. François Rabelais: Materiality and Culture Emily Erikson CHAPTER 15. Émile Zola: Seductions and Emancipations of Consumption Helena Flam CHAPTER 16. Fyodor Dostoevsky: On Extreme Political Violence Eva M. Meyersson Milgrom and Joshua Thurston-Milgrom CHAPTER 17. Goethe: The Ambivalence of Modernity and the Faustian Ethos of Personality Hans-Peter Müller Part III. Meta Sociology CHAPTER 18. Pearl Sydenstricker Buck: At the Intersection of Sociocultural Worlds Karen A. Cerulo and Janet M. Ruane CHAPTER 19. Dante Alighieri: The Afterworlds Are Hell for Sociologists Peter Bearman CHAPTER 20. Galileo Galilei: Which Road to Scientific Innovation? Roberto Franzosi CHAPTER 21. Jorge Luis Borges: Reduction of Social Complexity Filippo Barbera CHAPTER 22. Isaac Asimov: Impacting and Predicting Sociocultural Change Kathleen M. Carley CHAPTER 23. Alfred North Whitehead: From Universal Algebra to Universal Sociology Thomas J. Fararo CHAPTER 24. Kurt Vonnegut: F...

Autorentext

Christofer Edling is professor of sociology at Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany.

Jens Rydgren is professor of sociology at Stockholm University, Sweden.

Klappentext

In this book, leading sociologists expand the scope of their discipline by revealing the sociological aspects of the works of great philosophers, scientists, and writers. Sociologists have long recognized that sociological insight can be gleaned from creative thinkers outside their formal discipline. Sociological Insights of Great Thinkers: Sociology through Literature, Philosophy, and Science captures and examines those insights in 32 essays that discuss scholars and writers not normally associated with any sociological school of thought. Following a tradition of enriching the sociological toolkit by finding influence in philosophy and literature, the volume's contributors-an international group of renowned scholars-eschew biography to focus solely on sociological interpretations that can be drawn from the work of many of history's preeminent thinkers. Among the book's subjects are philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, Kant, and Cassirer; scientists such as Darwin and Galileo; and authors such as Kafka, Proust, and Shakespeare. The essays not only allow readers to see such thinkers in a new light, but underscore the fact that sociological questions have lain at the very heart of humanity throughout history.

Inhalt

Preface
CHAPTER 1. Introduction
Christofer Edling and Jens Rydgren
Part I. Sociological Illustrations
CHAPTER 2. William Shakespeare: On Social Stratification
Hiroshi Ono
CHAPTER 3. Plato: Seven Sociological Ideas for the Happy Life
Guillermina Jasso
CHAPTER 4. Franz Kafka: Bureaucracy, Law, and Abuses of the "Iron Cage"
Joachim J. Savelsberg
CHAPTER 5. Marcel Proust: On Social Status and Capital Forms
Jens Rydgren
CHAPTER 6. George Orwell: From Democratic Revolution to Authoritarian Rule
Karl-Dieter Opp
CHAPTER 7. Robert Musil: State, Nation, and Nationality
Helmut Kuzmics
CHAPTER 8. August Strindberg: Forms of Interaction
Christofer Edling
CHAPTER 9. Henrik Ibsen: The Power of Charisma
Fredrik Engelstad
CHAPTER 10. Chinua Achebe: Colonial Anomie
Wendy Griswold
Part II. Sociological Concepts
CHAPTER 11. Ernst Cassirer: Science, Symbols, and Logics
John W. Mohr
CHAPTER 12. Cicero: Persons and Positions
Lars Udehn
CHAPTER 13. Charles Darwin: Selfishness and Altruism
Wendelin Reich
CHAPTER 14. François Rabelais: Materiality and Culture
Emily Erikson
CHAPTER 15. Émile Zola: Seductions and Emancipations of Consumption
Helena Flam
CHAPTER 16. Fyodor Dostoevsky: On Extreme Political Violence
Eva M. Meyersson Milgrom and Joshua Thurston-Milgrom
CHAPTER 17. Goethe: The Ambivalence of Modernity and the Faustian Ethos of Personality
Hans-Peter Müller
Part III. Meta Sociology
CHAPTER 18. Pearl Sydenstricker Buck: At the Intersection of Sociocultural Worlds
Karen A. Cerulo and Janet M. Ruane
CHAPTER 19. Dante Alighieri: The Afterworlds Are Hell for Sociologists
Peter Bearman
CHAPTER 20. Galileo Galilei: Which Road to Scientific Innovation?
Roberto Franzosi
CHAPTER 21. Jorge Luis Borges: Reduction of Social Complexity
Filippo Barbera
CHAPTER 22. Isaac Asimov: Impacting and Predicting Sociocultural Change
Kathleen M. Carley
CHAPTER 23. Alfred North Whitehead: From Universal Algebra to Universal Sociology
Thomas J. Fararo
CHAPTER 24. Kurt Vonnegut: From Semicolons to Apocalypses
Barry Markovsky
CHAPTER 25. Jonathan Swift: Political Satire and the Public Sphere
Gary Alan Fine
Part IV. Sociological Foundations
CHAPTER 26. Baruch Spinoza: Monism and Complementarity
Ronald L. Breiger
CHAPTER 27. Isaiah Berlin: On the Sociology of Freedom
Margareta Bertilsson
CHAPTER 28. Bertrand Russell: Insights on Power
David Willer
CHAPTER 29. Immanuel Kant: An Analytic Grammar for the Relation between Cognition and Action
John Levi Martin
CHAPTER 30. John Dewey: The Sociology of Action
Christopher Muller and Christopher Winship
CHAPTER 31. Charles Sanders Peirce: On the Sociology of Thinking
Richard Swedberg
CHAPTER 32. Thomas Hobbe…