Jon Elster is i of the people whose thinking most social club as well as the social sciences has made a consistently of import contribution ...
Jon Elster is i of the people whose thinking most social club as well as the social sciences has made a consistently of import contribution to the philosophy of social science. So Elster's handling of Tocqueville equally a social scientist inward Alexis de Tocqueville, the First Social Scientist volition endure of involvement to anyone who wants to know how nosotros select come upwards to analyze societies inward the damage nosotros have.
Elster demonstrates a deep familiarity with Tocqueville's writings, though he focuses inward this majority on L'Ancien regime as well as Democracy inward America. So Elster's Tocqueville is textually good supported. At the same time, Tocqueville is non actually a theoretical writer. Instead, it is necessary to infer his theoretical ideas from the comments he makes most historical events as well as actors. So Elster is forced to engage inward a fair sum of rational reconstruction of the theories that underlay a diversity of Tocqueville's observations most the politics of French Republic as well as America.
There are several elements of Elster's interpretation of Tocqueville that seem peculiarly significant. One is Elster's persuasion that Tocqueville operated on the footing of a innovation of social explanation that depended on social mechanisms rather than full general laws. Elster believes that the most of import characteristic of Tocqueville's claim to beingness a sociologist is his consistent search for causes. The other commutation to Elster's analysis of Tocqueville is his focus on features of the histrion -- reason, interests, as well as passions, or what Tocqueville refers to equally "habits of the heart".
Among the social mechanisms that Elster focuses on are those that surroundings preference formation. This inquiry is evidently commutation to having a theory of political psychology: why exercise people brand the choices that they do? He singles out 3 distinct psychological mechanisms that Tocqueville alludes to: the spillover effect, the compensation effect, as well as the satiation lawsuit (kl 292). Preference formation is a theme that has consistently interested Elster, as well as he spends much fourth dimension on the inquiry inward his early on writings, including the formal inquiry of fourth dimension preferences.
What is "enlightened self-interest"? Elster finds that Tocqueville contrasts "egoism" with "enlightened self-interest" too equally with altruism. Egoism way an exclusive attending to one's ain interests inward the moment. So it is opposed both to altruism (concern for the interests of others) as well as foresight (concern for one's hereafter interests) (kl 1113). (This bears out Amartya Sen's comment inward "Rational Fools" that the purely economical human is indeed about beingness a social moron; link.)
Elster is peculiarly interested inward Tocqueville's handling of the passions. He specifically discusses Envy, Fear, Hatred , Enthusiasm, Contempt, as well as Shame equally emotions (passions) that oftentimes drive demeanor inward opposition to both interests as well as reason. This brings his give-and-take into intersection with that of Albert Hirschman inward The Passions as well as the Interests. (The Kindle edition includes a rattling interesting introduction past times Amartya Sen; link.) Hirschman's majority looks at the ways that early on political economists as well as philosophers such equally Smith as well as Hume thought most the relationships alongside reason, passion, as well as interest, with a persuasion toward the by as well as large moderating effects of interests on demeanor inward many historical settings. Elster finds a rattling similar trouble of thought inward Tocqueville.
Elster addresses the theme of the micro-macro human relationship inward the conclusion. He finds that Tocqueville is interested inward both directions of influence -- from micro to macro as well as from macro to micro. He provides a diagram that looks a lot similar an inverted version of Coleman's boat:
Elster doesn't seat his views inward these terms, simply much of what he has to tell most Tocqueville tin endure seat inward the category of piecing together Tocqueville's theory of the actor: why people send equally they do. His discussions of preferences, individualism, norms, as well as passions all autumn inward the domain of a theory of the actor.
Elster's handling of Tocqueville is of involvement inward purpose because of its direct relevance to the explication of Tocqueville's thought. But I abide by it to a greater extent than interesting for what it shows most Elster's ain thinking most sociological investigation. It is land that Elster favors an actor-centered sociology. In some writings he explicitly describes his persuasion equally methodological individualism. Here the approach is somewhat to a greater extent than tolerant of schemes of explanation that are non straight reductionist. But it is focused on the varieties as well as sources of human action, as well as the ways that these features of activity chemical compound into unexpected social outcomes.
(Here is an before postal service where I discussed Tocqueville's condition equally a founding sociologist; link.)
Elster demonstrates a deep familiarity with Tocqueville's writings, though he focuses inward this majority on L'Ancien regime as well as Democracy inward America. So Elster's Tocqueville is textually good supported. At the same time, Tocqueville is non actually a theoretical writer. Instead, it is necessary to infer his theoretical ideas from the comments he makes most historical events as well as actors. So Elster is forced to engage inward a fair sum of rational reconstruction of the theories that underlay a diversity of Tocqueville's observations most the politics of French Republic as well as America.
There are several elements of Elster's interpretation of Tocqueville that seem peculiarly significant. One is Elster's persuasion that Tocqueville operated on the footing of a innovation of social explanation that depended on social mechanisms rather than full general laws. Elster believes that the most of import characteristic of Tocqueville's claim to beingness a sociologist is his consistent search for causes. The other commutation to Elster's analysis of Tocqueville is his focus on features of the histrion -- reason, interests, as well as passions, or what Tocqueville refers to equally "habits of the heart".
Among the social mechanisms that Elster focuses on are those that surroundings preference formation. This inquiry is evidently commutation to having a theory of political psychology: why exercise people brand the choices that they do? He singles out 3 distinct psychological mechanisms that Tocqueville alludes to: the spillover effect, the compensation effect, as well as the satiation lawsuit (kl 292). Preference formation is a theme that has consistently interested Elster, as well as he spends much fourth dimension on the inquiry inward his early on writings, including the formal inquiry of fourth dimension preferences.
What is "enlightened self-interest"? Elster finds that Tocqueville contrasts "egoism" with "enlightened self-interest" too equally with altruism. Egoism way an exclusive attending to one's ain interests inward the moment. So it is opposed both to altruism (concern for the interests of others) as well as foresight (concern for one's hereafter interests) (kl 1113). (This bears out Amartya Sen's comment inward "Rational Fools" that the purely economical human is indeed about beingness a social moron; link.)
Elster is peculiarly interested inward Tocqueville's handling of the passions. He specifically discusses Envy, Fear, Hatred , Enthusiasm, Contempt, as well as Shame equally emotions (passions) that oftentimes drive demeanor inward opposition to both interests as well as reason. This brings his give-and-take into intersection with that of Albert Hirschman inward The Passions as well as the Interests. (The Kindle edition includes a rattling interesting introduction past times Amartya Sen; link.) Hirschman's majority looks at the ways that early on political economists as well as philosophers such equally Smith as well as Hume thought most the relationships alongside reason, passion, as well as interest, with a persuasion toward the by as well as large moderating effects of interests on demeanor inward many historical settings. Elster finds a rattling similar trouble of thought inward Tocqueville.
Elster addresses the theme of the micro-macro human relationship inward the conclusion. He finds that Tocqueville is interested inward both directions of influence -- from micro to macro as well as from macro to micro. He provides a diagram that looks a lot similar an inverted version of Coleman's boat:
Elster doesn't seat his views inward these terms, simply much of what he has to tell most Tocqueville tin endure seat inward the category of piecing together Tocqueville's theory of the actor: why people send equally they do. His discussions of preferences, individualism, norms, as well as passions all autumn inward the domain of a theory of the actor.
Elster's handling of Tocqueville is of involvement inward purpose because of its direct relevance to the explication of Tocqueville's thought. But I abide by it to a greater extent than interesting for what it shows most Elster's ain thinking most sociological investigation. It is land that Elster favors an actor-centered sociology. In some writings he explicitly describes his persuasion equally methodological individualism. Here the approach is somewhat to a greater extent than tolerant of schemes of explanation that are non straight reductionist. But it is focused on the varieties as well as sources of human action, as well as the ways that these features of activity chemical compound into unexpected social outcomes.
(Here is an before postal service where I discussed Tocqueville's condition equally a founding sociologist; link.)
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