Classical horizons : the origins of sociology in ancient Greece / George E. McCarthy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCarthy, George E.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Marx, Karl, 1818-1883.

Marx, Karl.

Weber, Max, 1864-1920.

Weber, Max.

Durkheim, Émile, 1858-1917.

Durkheim, Émile.

Sociology--History.

Sociology.

History.

Sociology--Germany--Greek influences.

Sociology--France--Greek influences.

France.

Germany.

Physical Description:

viii, 202 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, [2003]

Summary:

This work relocates the origins of nineteenth-century social theory in classical Greece and focuses on three figures: Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim, all of whom wrote dissertations on the culture and structure of ancient society. Greek philosophy, art, and politics inspired their ideas, stirred their imaginations, and defined their intellectual horizons. McCarthy rediscovers the forgotten dreams and classical horizons of these European social theorists and uncovers the close connections between sociology and philosophy, offering new insights into the methods, theories, and approaches of modern social science.

Contents:

Introduction: Critique of the Enlightenment and Return to Classical Antiquity 1

Chapter 1 Karl Marx: Athenian Democracy and the Critique of Political Economy 15

Science and Nature in Democritus and Epicurus 17

Nature, Praxis, and Social Objectivity 22

Classical Needs and Neoclassical Aesthetics 25

Ancient and Modern Democracy 34

Greek Social Justice and Political Economy in Capital 42

Rationalization of Production and the Logic of Capital 47

Greek Physics and Marx's Dialectical Science 51

Classical Antiquity and the Ancient Mode of Production 59

Chapter 2 Max Weber: Greek Tragedy and the Rationalization of Society 64

Classical Antiquity and Ancient Capitalism 67

Capitalism and Democracy in the Greek Polis 72

Decline of the Roman Empire and the Rise of Modern Capitalism 75

Nietzsche and the Origins of Greek Tragedy 79

Existential Nihilism and the Perspectivism of Science 85

History of Western Science from Plato to the Present 88

Prophets of Positivism and the Politics of Science 92

Rationalization and the Eclipse of Reason 99

Classical Humanism and Historical Economics 103

Chapter 3 Emile Durkheim: Greek Polis and the Solidarity of the Conscience Collective 111

Aristotle, Montesquieu, and the Foundations of Sociology 113

Origins of Society in Rousseau and Aristotle 118

Epistemology and Existentialism in Kant and Schopenhauer 121

Platonic Rationalism and the Sophistry of Pragmatism 124

Collective Representations as Social Epistemology 131

Hellenic Solidarity and Modern Anomie 138

Classical Pedagogy and Modern Politics 147

Classical Justice Informing Social Democracy 150

Chapter 4 Awakening Classical Dreams: Synthesis of Ancient Justice and Modern Social Science 157.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-192) and index.

ISBN:

0791455637

0791455645

OCLC:

50960862