Abstract
This paper examines Durkheim’s theorization of the interrelationship between society, culture, and how this relationship constructs human subject and consciousness. My analysis begins with contextualizing his major works by answering why the concept of society is so important for Durkheim. Similar to the other founding fathers of the western classical sociological theory–e.g. Marx and Weber, Durkheim’s main concern is to answer Thomas Hobbes’s question: “how social order is possible?” in his investigation. By following various philosophical traditions–German idealism, British empiricism, and vulgar materialism, Durkheim argues that society should base itself on both “desirability and obligation.” Society is not only a material reality, but also a moral one. According to Durkheim’s moral-materialistic approach, society is a material reality, which satisfies people’s interests and needs. On the other hand, being a moral reality, society also functions as a coercive power which binds people together and makes them fulfill their moral obligations. Society consists of both material substratum and system of ideas. In this way, Durkheimian sociology, as sociological Kantianism, aims to explore the interplay between “logical consistency” and “socio- cultural interaction” in human society.
Presenters
Hsin-I LiuProfessor, Communication Arts, Dokkyo University/University of the Incarnate Word, Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Durkheim, Desirability, Moral Obligation, Social Order
