Predictions, Causality and Social Change

Kristian Keto, The Nordic Sociological Association Norway, History of Education Society UK

From substance to the concept field and processes – cause or effect of social organizations? Philosophy, or sciantia sciantiarum, is in crises wrote a disciple of Ludwig Feuerbach, Finnish W. Bolin, in 1868. There are many competing systems, but no schools. Substance, matter, was a central concept from Greek philosophy, wrote Hegelian T. Rein and defined knowledge and the concept of truth. Norwegian M.J. Monrad also approached from an epistemological aspect, in line with longue durée. His colleague W. Dons emphasized utility of studying relations between philosophy and culture, explaining C.J Boström’s philosophy to Norwegian scholars. Boström was the leading philosopher in Sweden, representing reaction to Hegel and his liberation from the finiteness of thought, other threats to Hegelians came from Ludwig Büchner’s book Force and Matter, and Auguste Comte’s social physics. Change from fate or Providence to laws of necessity did not necessarily exclude the concept free will, the cornerstone for Christian scholars. Ancient Greek idea of inner and outer freedom actualized in quest for political rights. How did democracy from German idealistic tradition and ideas of French revolution change? Feuerbach, Darwin, and Comte gave a new explanation of man. Academia in Norway was divided: social scientist S. Ibsen, son of writer Henrik Ibsen, and historian E. Sars against Monrad. In Finland and Sweden political considerations were much alike. Crises yielded a new stand to gnosis based on Kant and Hegel’s the Right. The entrance of natural sciences into higher education changed the concept of human being: Theology is anthropology and — physiology. Connections between things, their past and present relationships, but also future states with different properties; hence society increased in complexity and envisaged emergent forces. From proclaimed theoretical principles to political reality, was society a necessity or a choice? Arguments from political debate in the Nordic countries.

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 Presented in Session 123. History In/Of Social Science: New Methods and Old Arguments