Lehrende: Prof. Dr. Alexander Ruser
Veranstaltungsart: Seminar
Orga-Einheit: Sociology, Politics & Economics
Anzeige im Stundenplan: Rationality & Critic
Semesterwochenstunden: 3
Credits: 5,0
Standort: Campus der Zeppelin Universität
Unterrichtssprache: Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: 1 | 36
Prioritätsschema: Standard-Priorisierung
Inhalte: Rational thinking is arguably the single most important aspect of the "new colouring of ways of thought" (Whitehead 1925: 2) which heraled the rise of modern science. In order to formulate reasonable and plausible arguments William James found forced "to forge every sentence in the teeth of irreducible and stubborn facts". "Divine intervention" and "miracle"s where abandonend in favor for rational, transparent evidence. It is important to note that the re-colouring of the mind wasn´t limited to the natural sciences but was influential in the thinking of early social scientists as well. Most notably, french philosopher August Comte didn´t envision "Sociology" but a "Social Physics". Likewise the imprtance of scientfic rigour was stressed by early writers on social theory among them Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Alfred Radcliff Brown. Rational Thinking and methodologica criticism were key for the development of modern natural and social sciences alike. However, rationality and modern scientfific thinking didn´t spell the death of ideology. The modernization of warfare in the 20th century and the ruthless rationality of the industrialized genocide in German concentration camps underscore the need to criticize (some aspects of) rationality itself This seminar will approach the interplay of rationality and critique from two different perspectives 1. Rationality as critique: How rational thinking contributed to modern scientfic reasoning Sample Literature: o Whitehead, Alfred North (1925) Science and the Modern World o Grafton, Anthony (1994) Defenders of the Text o Poovey, Mary (1998) A History of the Modern Fact o Comte, Aguste (1855) Social Physics 2. A Critique of Rationality o Marcuse, Herbert (1964) One Dimensional Man o Ritzer, George (1993) The McDonaldization of Society
