Social Theory as a Vocation

Social Theory as a Vocation PDF Author: Donald N. Levine
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351489429
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
In this unprecedented collection, Donald N. Levine rejuvenates the field of social theory in the face of lagging institutional support. The work canvasses the universe of types of theory work in sociology and offers probing examples from his array of scholarly investigations.Social Theory as a Vocation throws fresh light on the texts of classic authors (Comte, Durkheim, Simmel, Weber, Park, Parsons, and Merton). Ranging widely, its substantive chapters deal with the sociology of strangers and the somatic dimensions of social conflict; the social functions of ambiguity and the use of metaphors in science; contemporary dilemmas of Ethiopian society; logical tensions in the ideas of freedom and reason; and the meaning of nationhood in our global era. The book includes Levine's transformative analysis of the field of Ethiopian studies, and his acclaimed interpretation of the discontents of modernity. It makes the bold move to merge philosophically informed analyses with empirical work.Finally, Levine focuses on what he views as the contemporary crisis of liberal education, and offers suggestions for ways to stimulate new efforts in teaching and learning to do social theory. This book is an integral contribution to social science collections and should be read by all interested in the future of the social sciences.

Social Theory as a Vocation

Social Theory as a Vocation PDF Author: Donald N. Levine
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351489429
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

Get Book

Book Description
In this unprecedented collection, Donald N. Levine rejuvenates the field of social theory in the face of lagging institutional support. The work canvasses the universe of types of theory work in sociology and offers probing examples from his array of scholarly investigations.Social Theory as a Vocation throws fresh light on the texts of classic authors (Comte, Durkheim, Simmel, Weber, Park, Parsons, and Merton). Ranging widely, its substantive chapters deal with the sociology of strangers and the somatic dimensions of social conflict; the social functions of ambiguity and the use of metaphors in science; contemporary dilemmas of Ethiopian society; logical tensions in the ideas of freedom and reason; and the meaning of nationhood in our global era. The book includes Levine's transformative analysis of the field of Ethiopian studies, and his acclaimed interpretation of the discontents of modernity. It makes the bold move to merge philosophically informed analyses with empirical work.Finally, Levine focuses on what he views as the contemporary crisis of liberal education, and offers suggestions for ways to stimulate new efforts in teaching and learning to do social theory. This book is an integral contribution to social science collections and should be read by all interested in the future of the social sciences.

Max Weber's 'Science as a Vocation'

Max Weber's 'Science as a Vocation' PDF Author: Peter Lassman
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000950646
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
Max Weber’s lecture ‘Science as a Vocation’ is a classic of social thought, in which central questions are posed about the nature of social and political thought and action. The lecture has often taken to be a summation of Weber’s thought. It can also be argued that, together with the responses of its admirers and critics, it provides a focus for discussion of the nature of modernity and its political consequences, and of the philosophical and political implications of the social or human sciences. This volume provides a full, clear, revised translation of the lecture, together with translations from the German of key contributions to the lively debate that followed its publication. The book concludes with a substantial essay on the current significance of the lecture, which discusses its relevance to the debates about the nature of science as a cultural phenomenon; the disjunction between science and nature; Weber’s conception of the disenchantment of the world; the division of scientific labour; and the fundamental nature and place of sociology.

Dialogical Social Theory

Dialogical Social Theory PDF Author: Donald N. Levine
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351294903
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
In his final work, Donald N. Levine, one of the great late-twentieth-century sociological theorists, brings together diverse social thinkers. Simmel, Weber, Durkheim, Parsons, and Merton are set into a dialogue with philosophers such as Hobbes, Smith, Montesquieu, Comte, Kant, and Hegel and pragmatists such as Peirce, James, Dewey, and McKeon to describe and analyze dialogical social theory. This volume is one of Levine’s most important contributions to social theory and a worthy summation of his life’s work. Levine demonstrates that approaching social theory with a cooperative, peaceful dialogue is a superior tactic in theorizing about society. He illustrates the advantages of the dialogical model with case studies drawn from the French Philosophes, the Russian Intelligentsia, Freudian psychology, Ushiba’s aikido, and Levine’s own ethnographic work in Ethiopia. Incorporating themes that run through his lifetime’s work, such as conflict resolution, ambiguity, and varying forms of social knowledge, Levine suggests that while dialogue is an important basis for sociological theorizing, it still vies with more combative forms of discourse that lend themselves to controversy rather than cooperation, often giving theory a sense of standing still as the world moves forward. The book was nearly finished when Levine died in April 2015, but it has been brought to thoughtful and thought-provoking completion by his friend and colleague Howard G. Schneiderman. This volume will be of great interest to students and teachers of social theory and philosophy.

Politics As a Vocation

Politics As a Vocation PDF Author: Max 1864-1920 Weber
Publisher: Hassell Street Press
ISBN: 9781014408709
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Vocation of Reason

The Vocation of Reason PDF Author: H. T. Wilson
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004136311
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
This book addresses, and at the same time reflects, the impact of Max Weber on both the social sciences and on critical theory's critique of the social sciences. Weber's conception of 'vocation' is a guiding thread unifying concerns about the nature, scope and limits of theoretical thinking among social scientists, whether supportive or critical of Weber. Not surprisingly, the source of many of these concerns, whether intended or unintended, biographical or situational, is the ambiguous legacy of Weber himself. Wilson's interrogation of Weber's thought in articles and essays over the past 30 years, supplemented by Kemple's insights, makes a strong case for the claim that we do indeed live in 'the age of Weber'.

An Analysis of Max Weber's Politics as a Vocation

An Analysis of Max Weber's Politics as a Vocation PDF Author: Tom McClean
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1351352709
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
German sociologist Max Weber’s 1919 lecture Politics as a Vocation is widely regarded as a masterpiece of political theory and sociology. Its central strength lies in Weber’s deployment of masterful interpretative skills to power his discussion of modern politics. Interpretation involves understanding both the meaning of evidence and the meaning of terms – questioning definitions, clarifying terms and processes, and supplying good, clear definitions of the author’s own. As a sociologist accustomed to working with historical evidence, Weber based his own work on precisely these skills, solidly backed up by analytical acuity. Politics as a Vocation, written in a Germany shocked by its crippling defeat in World War I, saw Weber turn his eye to an examination of how the modern nation state emerged, and the different ways in which it can be run – interpreting and defining the different types of rule that are possible. It is testament to Weber’s interpretative skills that Politics is famous above all in sociological circles for its clear definition of a state as an institution that claims “the monopoly of legitimate physical violence” in a given territory.

Sociology Reinterpreted

Sociology Reinterpreted PDF Author: Peter L. Berger
Publisher: Anchor Books
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
This book restates what the sociological approach to human reality essentially consists of. It explores what sociologists do and with what they "should" do and be.

Sociology Reinterpreted

Sociology Reinterpreted PDF Author: Peter L. Berger
Publisher: Anchor Books
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
This book restates what the sociological approach to human reality essentially consists of. It explores what sociologists do and with what they "should" do and be.

The Descent of Political Theory

The Descent of Political Theory PDF Author: John G. Gunnell
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226310800
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
This provocative work reveals the origins and development of political theory as it is presently understood—and misunderstood. Tracing the evolution of the field from the nineteenth century to the present, John G. Gunnell shows how current controversies, like those over liberalism or the relationship of theory to practice, are actually the unresolved legacy of a forgotten past. By uncovering this past, Gunnell exposes the forces that animate and structure political theory today. Gunnell reconstructs the evolution of the field by locating it within the broader development of political science and American social science in general. During the behavioral revolution that swept political science in the 1950s, the relationship between political theory and political science changed dramatically, relegating theory to the margins of an increasingly empirical discipline. Gunnell demonstrates that the estrangement of political theory is rooted in a much older quarrel: the authority of knowledge versus political theory is rooted in a much older quarrel: the authority of knowledge versus political authority, academic versus public discourse. By disclosing the origin of this dispute, he opens the way for a clearer understanding of the basis and purpose of political theory. As critical as it is revelatory, this thoughtful book should be read by any one interested in the history of political theory or science—or in the relationship of social science to political practice in the United States.

The Quest for Modern Vocational Education

The Quest for Modern Vocational Education PDF Author: Philipp Gonon
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9783034300261
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
Vocational education that includes both in-company training and schooling is a highly successful educational model - in fact, it has come to be considered the most effective kind of youth education to date. The development of this so-called Dual System is often attributed to Georg Kerschensteiner (1854-1932). In this book Kerschensteiner's work is presented in the context of modernization processes in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, when the urgent need was felt to balance general education and vocational needs. The corresponding discourse was influenced by modern thinkers like Dewey, Weber and Simmel. This book thus offers new insights into the reform of vocational education and into educational thinking more in general.