Introduction to SociologyIntroduction to Sociology distills decades of distinguished work in sociology by one of this century s most influential thinkers in the areas of social theory, philosophy, aesthetics, and music. It consists of a course of seventeen lectures given by Theodor W. Adorno in May-July 1968, the last lecture series before his death in 1969. Captured by tape recorder (which Adorno called the fingerprint of the living mind ), these lectures present a somewhat different, and more accessible, Adorno from the one who composed the faultlessly articulated and almost forbiddingly perfect prose of the works published in his lifetime. Here we can follow Adorno s thought in the process of formation (he spoke from brief notes), endowed with the spontaneity and energy of the spoken word. The lectures form an ideal introduction to Adorno s work, acclimatizing the reader to the greater density of thought and language of his classic texts. Delivered at the time of the positivist dispute in sociology, Adorno defends the position of the Frankfurt School against criticism from mainstream positivist sociologists. He sets out a conception of sociology as a discipline going beyond the compilation and interpretation of empirical facts, its truth being inseparable from the essential structure of society itself. Adorno sees sociology not as one academic discipline among others, but as an over-arching discipline that impinges on all aspects of social life. Tracing the history of the discipline and insisting that the historical context is constitutive of sociology itself, Adorno addresses a wide range of topics, including: the purpose of studying sociology; the relation of sociology and politics; the influence of Saint-Simon, Comte, Durkheim, Weber, Marx, and Freud; the contributions of ethnology and anthropology; the relationship of method to subject matter; the problems of quantitative analysis; the fetishization of science; and the separation of sociology and social philosophy. |
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Page v
... phenomena ' • Praxis LECTURE THREE Back to the question of the essential • Positivism's standpoint towards the concept of essence : positivist sociology guided by research methods and set tasks ; the research technician 1 10 19 ...
... phenomena ' • Praxis LECTURE THREE Back to the question of the essential • Positivism's standpoint towards the concept of essence : positivist sociology guided by research methods and set tasks ; the research technician 1 10 19 ...
Page ix
... phenomena ; the dimension of interpretation Public sphere and history . The absolute status of the present moment • Coincidence of the momentary and the reified ; the blindness of anti - historical sociology • Historical determinateness ...
... phenomena ; the dimension of interpretation Public sphere and history . The absolute status of the present moment • Coincidence of the momentary and the reified ; the blindness of anti - historical sociology • Historical determinateness ...
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Contents
LECTURE ONE | 1 |
LECTURE TWO | 10 |
LECTURE THREE | 19 |
LECTURE FOUR | 27 |
LECTURE FIVE | 35 |
LECTURE SIX | 44 |
LECTURE SEVEN | 53 |
LECTURE NINE | 71 |
LECTURE ELEVEN | 89 |
Demarcation of sociology from other disciplines necessity | 107 |
LECTURE FIFTEEN | 127 |
Subject and object in sociology Administrative research | 144 |
EDITORS AFTERWORD | 190 |
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Common terms and phrases
abstract Adorno analysis believe called Comte concept of society concept of sociology concrete consciousness course critical critique dialectical disciplines Dispute in German division of labour Durkheim dynamic economic Émile Durkheim empirical essence essential example existing fact formulation Frankfurt School Frankfurt/Main Freud function G.W.F. Hegel German Sociology Gesellschaft für Soziologie Habermas Hegel Helmut Schelsky historical human idea ideal type ideology incidentally individual Institut für Sozialforschung Jürgen Habermas kind Ladies and Gentlemen logical Marx Max Horkheimer Max Weber means mediated method moments nature object ology phenomena philosophy positivism positivist Positivist Dispute possible precisely problem production psychology question Ralf Dahrendorf rational reality reason referred reflection regard reified relation relationship Scheuch Schriften sense simply situation so-called soci sociologists Soziologische Exkurse structure subject matter tendency Theodor W theoretical theory of society thing Thorstein Veblen tion trans Werke whole