Individualism in Modern Thought: From Adam Smith to Hayek

ISBN-13: 9780415185240 / Angielski / Twarda / 1998 / 244 str.

Lorenzo Infantino

Opis

This text aims to present a comprehensive survey of methodological individualism in social, political and economic thought from the Enlightenment to the 20th century. Exploring the works of such figures as de Mandeville, Smith, Marx, Spencer, Durkheim, Simmel, Weber, Hayek, Popper and Parsons, the study underlines the contrasts between methodological collectivism and methodological individualism. The analysis offered here also reveals the theoretical presuppositions behind the collectivist and individualist traditions and the practical consequences of their applications. Infantino concludes in favour of individualism. This work touches upon issues in social and political theory, intellectual history, political philosophy, political economy and sociological theory.

Spis treści

Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Bernard De Mandeville and Adam Smith; Chapter 3 Which Method?; Chapter 4 Durkheim and the Application of the Collectivistic Method; Chapter 5 Is an ‘Individualistic’ Reading of Durkheim Possible?; Chapter 6 Economists and Sociologists Compared; Chapter 7 The Early Parsons; Chapter 8 Conclusions;

O autorze

Lorenzo Infantino is Professor of Sociology at Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali, Rome.