The Unexpected in Action: Ethics, Rationality, and Skills

ISBN-13: 9783031267925 / Angielski

Antonio Cocozza

Opis

The book is a true knowledge-enhancing project, dealing with the forms of rationality at work in social life, which are so many, varied and complex. Published already in Spanish and Italian, it analyses the role played by rationality through the lens of social theories in order to propose a problematic interpretation of human action. Since there is nothing more practical than a good theory when seeking to understand our society, the book reflects on the theoretical approaches that provide useful categories by means of which to understand and interpret individual, organizational, and institutional action. It proposes an analysis of a wide variety of classics by eminent European and Anglo-American thinkers, such as Dahrendorf, Mannheim, Marx, Popper, Weber, Habermas, Luhmann, Machiavelli, Pareto, Ardigò, Cesareo, Parsons, Schütz, Alexander, Bauman, Beck, Sennett, Antiseri, Boudon, Sen, Simon, to shed light on the relationship between rationality, difficulties in thinking and extra-rationality. Finally, the reasons for unexpected action are investigated as well as the strategic role played by ethics, rationality and skills in postmodern societies on the basis of the contributions of Nussbaum and Piketty.

Spis treści

Chapter 1. Reason and Rationality in Sociological Thought: Interpreting Human Action as a Problem. Chapter 2. Superseding the Structural Dichotomy of the Holistic and Individualistic Approaches: Attempts and Statements. Chapter 3. The Interpretation of Rationality in Human Action from Talcott Parsons, to Alfred Schütz and Jürgen Habermas. Chapter 4. Rationality, Environment, and Complex Systems in the Theses of Niklas Luhmann. Chapter 5. Rationalism, Irrationalism, and Pseudo-rationality in the Thinking of Karl Marx and Karl R. Popper. Chapter 6. The theory of rational choice: potential and criticality. Chapter 7. Towards the Supersession of Utilitarianism. Chapter 8. The Upsurge of Postmodern Society and The Contributions of Bauman, Beck, and Sennett. Chapter 9. Ethics, Rationality and Competences in Twenty-first Century Capitalism: The Perspective of Piketty, Nussbaum, and Morin. Conclusions.

O autorze

Prof. Antonio Cocozza, former deputy director of The Department of Education of Rome’s  Roma Tre University, President of the Degree Course in “Training and Human-Resource Development” - Professor of the Sociology of Work and Organisations, Director of the Master's Degree in “Policies and Tools for Human-Resource Management” and in “Organizational and managerial processes in school autonomy” at the Roma Tre University. Coordinator of the Observatory on school autonomy and Professor of “Business Communication and Human-Resource Management” at the LUISS, “Guido Carli”, University, Rome.

Blurb

The essay already published in Italian and Spanish, analyzes the role played by rationality in the history of social sciences, in order to propose a basically problematic interpretation of human action. In this perspective, various theories of rationality connected to the various attempts to provide an "interpretative perspective" useful for a more adequate understanding of individual organizational and institutional action are examined. For this purpose, the works of numerous classics are examined including Dahrendorf, Mannheim, Marx, Popper, Weber and, in a different perspective, the contributions of Habermas, Luhmann, Parsons and Schütz. A reflection is then proposed on the concrete theoretical perspectives opened by the criticisms of the theory of rational choice, taking into consideration the observations and proposals advanced by Antiseri, Boudon, Sen, Simon. The contributions of Ardigò, Alexander, Cesareo and Machiavelli and Pareto are studied in depth, regarding the "extra rational" and value dimension in human action. Furthermore, the perspectives outlined by Bauman, Beck, Sennett are analyzed, in order to get to deepen the “liquid rationality”, the Risikogesellshaft and the Risikoleben, but also the development of uncontrolled flexibility and the consequences on personal life. Finally, we wonder about the reasons for unexpected action and through the contribution of Nussbaum and Piketty on the strategic role played by ethics, rationality and skills in postmodern societies.

• The evolution of the concept of rationality is analyzed, starting from the dichotomy between holism and individualism;
• The problematic nature of the interpretation of human behaviour is discussed in the light of the contributions of many social scientists shifting the focus from a utilitarian to a value-oriented approach;
• It describes the increasingly complex and unpredictable scenario that determines an open future based on unexpected behaviour and actions.