A sociological formalization of Searle's social ontology

John Searle's theory of social reality is among the most influential accounts in the history of philosophy. His theory also implicates concepts and issues of foundational interest to sociologists, including social structure, institutional differentiation and the relationship between linguistic performativity and institutional reality. Despite this overlap with sociological theory, and despite some sustained attention from sociologists (e.g., Lukes, 2007 ), no formal theoretical model of Searle's work exists within sociology. This paper reviews the core concepts of Searle's theory before concisely describing and then formally modelling their propositional structure. Though the overlap of Searle's approach with classical and contemporary sociological theory is discussed throughout, the paper concludes with a specific argument about his proper assimilation into sociological theory vis‐à‐vis Durkheim, Bourdieu and Giddens.     

Approximations of rational criteria under complete ignorance and the independence axiom

Rational decision making under complete ignorance, a limit case of uncertainty, is defined. Through a concept of approximation, a meaning is given to a criterion almost possessing a property. Rational criteria depend almost on the sole bounds of the outcome range of each decision, they are almost continuous, they can almost possess a transitive indifference relation; however, under Savage's Independence Axiom, this last property restricts possible criteria to those which can be approximated, at least partly, by either the Maximin or the Maximax criterion.     

The Interhuman and What is Common to All: Martin Buber and Sociology

Martin Buber was close to sociology and sociologists from his university years on and in 1938 was head of the new Department of Sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Although influenced by Ferdinand Toennies, and George Simmel, he went beyond them in his philosophy of the "interhuman" from which standpoint he also criticized Max Scheler. Focal social concepts of Buber's are "the interhuman"_the dialogical relationship between persons that entails "inclusion," or "imagining the real," making present, and confirmation (compared here with the social psychology of George Herbert Mead); the "essential We" or common cosmos that each helps to build by speech-with-meaning from his or her unique stance; the distinction between the "political principle" of government and the "social principle" of fellowship and social spontaneity; and the philosophy of community that led Buber to a federalistic socialism and the vision of restructuring society into a "community of communities".     

Applying the ICF‐CY to identify children's everyday life situations: A step towards participation‐focused code sets

Adolfsson M. Applying the ICF‐CY to identify children's everyday life situations: a step towards participation‐focused code sets With the long‐term goal to create an interdisciplinary screening tool with code sets focusing on children's participation in everyday life situations (ELS), the purpose of the present study was to identify ELS for children 0–17 years. The views of professionals and parents in Sweden, South Africa and the USA were integrated based on ICF‐CY ¹ 1 The WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, version for Children and Youth.
linkages. The chapters Self‐care and Major life areas seemed most obvious to include in ELS. At the 2nd ICF‐CY level, 11 categories emerged as ELS, with Hygiene and Recreation as the most obvious. Two sets of ELS were identified for infants/preschoolers and school‐aged children/adolescents. Professionals and parents agreed on ELS for the older age group. Findings suggest that ELS differ in context specificity depending on maturity and growing autonomy. The study has implications for the future screening tool that is intended to support children with disabilities in describing what matters most to them in intervention planning. Key Practitioner Message: ?Children and parents need opportunities to express their opinions during intervention processes, but a structured family–professional collaboration model is lacking; ?Using ICF‐CY‐based models, including holistic views of participation in everyday life situations, increases professionals' focus on family perspectives; ?Models to connect interventions to participation in everyday life situations enhance children's motivation and support interdisciplinary assessment.     

The Meaning of Meaning in Sociology. The Achievements and Shortcomings of Alfred Schutz's Phenomenological Sociology

Phenomenological sociology was founded at the beginning of 1930s by Alfred Schutz. His mundane phenomenology sought to combine impulses drawn from Husserl's transcendental phenomenology and Weber's action theory. It was made famous at the turn of 1960s and 1970s by Garfinkel's ethnomethodology and Berger & Luckmann's social constructionism. This paper deals with the notable accomplishments of Schutz and his followers and then proceeds to a shared shortcoming, which is that the phenomenological approach is unable to understand meaning in any other way but as actors's knowledge. Therefore, phenomenological sociologists are forced to describe the actor's interpretations of meaning as transparent to the actor him/herself, even if they sometimes make heroic attempts to escape the limitations of the phenomenological conception. The limitation is apparent in Husserl's and Schutz's definition of meaning as a “reflective intentional act”, Garfinkel's use of the term “accounting” to refer to a signifying effect, and the way Berger and Luckmann describe their social theory as “sociology of knowledge”. Today, similar confusions are present in Michael Polanyi's “tacit knowledge”and in Giddens' structuration theory.     

“燕京学派”的知识社会学思想及其应用：围绕吴文藻、费孝通、李安宅展开的比较研究

本文比较了吴文藻、费孝通和李安宅对知识社会学的引介与消化,以及在此指导下的经验研究,基于此尝试论证三人分别开拓了三种知识社会学的经验研究路径。吴氏以曼海姆的知识社会学为主要依据,主张知识与知识人受限于社会本体论,走向实践改造社会的国家主义。费氏一直到1950年代之前似乎在曼海姆与韦伯之间摇摆;到晚年则尝试从新儒家出发,提出社会科学应借鉴诠释学,关注“心”的问题,从而重新接近张东荪的知识社会学。李氏原先引介曼海姆最积极,后来转向吸收张东荪的思想而走向韦伯,认为应该更全面地考察整个知识系统在社会中沉淀的不同层面。通过上述比较,文章尝试指出,社区研究可能需要与知识社会学结合,才能将我们对国家与社会的理解推至更深处。     

社会学与伦理学的争执:涂尔干的道德科学

要把握社会学的根本问题,对其基本思维方式进行辩护和反思,我们应将它置于它曾经努力挣脱的学科体系中,并把它视为对现代伦理学的一种回应。本文通过检讨涂尔干和列维-布留尔的道德科学对伦理学的两点批评来触及社会学的基本主张。针对伦理学把自己理解为一门立法科学的定位,社会学强调只有从对道德事实的实证研究入手,才能为人们的社会生活提供有效的规范。针对伦理学把实现人的本性作为道德的目的的观点,社会学主张从社会功能出发来界定道德。可以从这场争论中看到社会学如何试图通过对经验现实,特别是非西方民族的宗教和社会形态中的合理性的把握,突破西方人文主义传统的典范地位,进而为人们构想现代社会和道德提供不同的思想资源。     

论操作化：当代社会科学哲学的启示

“操作化”是实证主义社会学研究方法的核心概念,目前许多社会学家对它的理解都源于以语言图像论为代表的传统社会科学哲学。语用学转向后的当代社会科学哲学则推翻了语言图像论,指出语词的意义并不在于它所对应的客观对象,而在于语词自身的实践用法及其相应的生活形式。这种观点为社会学家们提供了对于操作化的重新理解,也为超越目前社会学方法论的二元对立提供了可能。     

SPECIAL ISSUE： RELIGION AND SOCIETY： CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION：Beyond exclusive religions： challenges for the sociology of religion in China

中国宗教的快速发展及相关研究将有可能重塑宗教社会学的边界。由于过分强调对排他性宗教的研究,宗教社会学一度被称为“基督宗教社会学”。然而,非排他性宗教主导的中国社会却对此提出了挑战,同时也为其提供了发展机遇。在微观层面上,非排他性宗教的普遍存在对植根于西方社会的一些核心概念——如“改宗”和“委身”——构成了挑战。在组织层面上,它挑战着“教派-教会”理论,提醒我们要对非科层化的宗教组织给予关注。在市场层面上,社会学家可以考察非排他性宗教何以在中国宗教兴盛的原因。     

研究中国宗教的社会学范式杨庆堃眼中的中国社会宗教

摘要：本文通过杨庆堃教授对中国宗教极其卓越和具有开创性的研究,来审视中国宗教的社会学范式。杨氏的《中国社会中的宗教》是一部堪称现代经典的华丽巨著,是中国宗教社会学研究的典范之作,是社会学学者研究中国宗教的重要参考书,具有极高的学术价值和理论创新意义。相对于西方宗教的制度性,杨氏提出发散性宗教的概念,指出散开宗教的信仰和仪式有机会发展为有组织的社会体系,同时它是作为社会组织模式整体的一部分,在散开的形式中,宗教发挥着多样的功能,以组织的方式出现在中国社会生活中。杨氏是第一个从宽阔的社会学角度来证明中国宗教存在形式、合理性以及历史传统的华裔学者,对于其后学者的研究奠定了重要的学术基础。     

The 'Unbearable Lightness' of the Economic Approach to Economic Behavior in the Social Setting: Rational Action and the Sociology of the Economy

This article entails endeavours to properly conceive the theoretical-methodoÍlogical relations between sociology of the economy or economic sociology and the economic approach to human behaviour or rational action theory. These endeavors are induced by recent proposals for an economic approach to economic sociology and other conflations between the two disciplines. Such proposals exemplify the tendency of rational action theorists to dissolve economic (and all) sociology into their universalist 'theory of everything'. Many economic sociologists display a bona fide attitude toward such extensions of the economic approach albeit these can be essentially incongruous with a sociological perspective on the economy as advanced by their discipline. The article allows for the possibility that the economic approach to economic sociology is unsustainable in epistemological terms. This would imply epistemologically non-rational grounds for the attraction of economic sociologists to the economic approach to human behaviour.     

Harsanyi’s critical rule utilitarianism

In his recent book,Rational Behaviour and Bargaining Equilibrium In Games and Social Situations, John C. Harsanyi devotes a chapter to his new theory of morality, which he calls ‘Critical Rule Utilitarianism’, and which contains his solution to the problem of the interpersonal comparison of utility. After a detailed exposition of his theory, arguments will be presented to show that:

1. there are certain formal difficulties in the solution that he offers which leads to a rejection of the axiom that there is to be agreement between an individualj’s personal preferences and individuali’s (i ≠j) extended utility function out of which the social welfare function is to be constructed; and
2. Harsanyi’s theory of critical rule utilitarianism cannot be accepted as a theory of morality because it presupposes a more fundamental theory in its actual construction.

     

The impact of self-protection and self-insurance on individual response to risk

We develop four experimental markets to examine how individuals respond to risk: self-protection and self-insurance in both private and collective auctions. First, we find evidence that the mechanism used to reduce risk is important. Results indicate that the upper and lower bounds on value were elicited by the private self-protection and the collective self-insurance markets, respectively. Second, the robustness of these results declined with low-probability lotteries. We find further evidence that individuals overestimate the impact of low-probability events. Overestimation decreased, however, with repeated market exposure. Third, the four markets induced rapid value formation. Usually only one or two additional market trials were necessary before an individual's perception and valuation of reduced risk stabilized.     

Why Rickert? Regarding the dogma about Heinrich Rickert's influence on Max Weber

For almost a century, scholars have held the conviction that Max Weber's methodology was based upon neo-Kantian philosophy. This belief was founded on the idea that Weber's methodology was dependent on the neo-Kantianism of Weber's Freiburg colleague and friend Heinrich Rickert. This idea began with Rickert himself and then was promoted by his student Alexander von Schelting. This belief was then passed down through numerous American scholars to the point that today, sociologists have the conviction that Weber's writings on method are tied directly to those of Rickert. In light of this, one may suggest that this conviction has been transformed into dogma. However, as will be demonstrated in this essay, Weber's methodological ideas are fundamentally different from those of Rickert and that is based upon the fact that Weber's methodological goals were fundamentally different from those of Rickert.     

西学东渐和中国现代哲学的形成

中国现代哲学是在西方外来文化传入中国、并与中国传统文化碰撞、融合的过程中形成的,其路径主要有三条:通过马克思主义哲学的中国化,形成了中国的马克思主义;通过欧美科学哲学的中国化,形成了中国化的科学哲学;而西方人本主义哲学和"东方文化主义"则构成了中国现代保守主义思潮形成的重要思想资源和背景。中国现代保守主义思潮又包括两个流派:其一是中国传统哲学的现代化,形成文化保守主义的"现代新儒学;"其二则是政治保守主义的"三民主义哲学"及国家主义。     

An Exploration of Mental Health Literacy Among African American Clergy

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore African American clergy's mental health literacy with older congregants 60 years of age and older. Using a grounded theory approach, we recruited a purposive sample of 9 African American clergy representing diverse ages, denominations, locales, and educational levels. Data was coded and classified according to Kevin's (1976) Kevin, R. C. 1976. Factors influencing the judgment and referral of mental health presenting problems by clergymen and psychologists, Unpublished doctoral dissertation: University of Texas, Austin.  [Google Scholar] typology of pastoral counseling and Jorm et al.'s (1997) Jorm, A. F., Korten, A. E., Jacomb, P. A., Christensen, H., Rodgers, B. and Pollitt, P. 1997. “Mental health literacy”: A survey of the public's ability to recognize mental disorders and their beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment. Medical Journal of Australia, 166: 182–186. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] conceptual model of mental health literacy. Findings from data analysis revealed study respondents were adherents of Kevin's Religious–Community (R–C) model. Additionally, the following themes emerged: loss of cognitive functioning, psychosocial stressors, religiosity, and appreciation for professional assistance, cultural barriers, and key informants/familiarity with formal mental health providers which partially maps onto Jorm et al.'s conceptual model of mental health literacy.     

中国大陆社会心理学适应性重建初探--基于社会转型期知识社会学的视角

以社会转型为背景,以知识社会学为视角,梳理当前中国大陆社会心理学的两种主要范式———“实验社会心理学”与“本土（化）社会心理学”,揭示其与本土“历史—社会现实”的疏离状况,进而对其本体论的缺陷进行反思与批判,探讨以消解疏离为目标、以“本土（化）社会心理学”为基底、以“社会转型”为基本背景框架与研究内容、以本体论的重构为切入点与着力点的大陆社会心理学重建之路。     

Changes in the Social Characteristics of Workers under Developed Socialism

The past decade has witnessed ever-increasing interest in problems of the development of our country's working class. The growth of knowledge in this field is proceeding at accelerated rates. Not only articles but monographs on various topics in the history of the Soviet workers have been published. Historiographers have published a number of analyses of this literature. (1) Studies in historical sociology have become established in recent years as one of the many forms this takes. (2)     

Open-Ended and Open-Door Treatment Groups for Young People with Mental Illness

The concept of open-ended groups is expanded to include an open-door model (OEOD) wherein members with severe mental illnesses, including schizophrenia disorders and bipolar, can join, leave, and reenter groups as their life circumstances dictate their availability and willingness for treatment. This model is grounded on the work of Schopler and Galinsky's (1984/2006 Schopler, J. H. and Galinsky, M. J. 2006. Meeting practice needs: Conceptualizing the open-ended group. Social Work with Groups, 28(3): 49–68. (Original work published 1984) [Google Scholar]) and Galinsky and Schopler's (1989 Galinsky, M. and Schopler, J. 1989. Developmental patterns in open-ended groups. Social Work with Groups, 12(2): 99–114. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) theses on the value and processes of open-ended groups and includes perspectives on mutual aid and group development. Groupwork with the OEOD format is illustrated with examples taken from a group of 79 participants diagnosed with first-episode schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders, 40 of whom had cooccurring substance abuse. Of the 79 participants in the OEOD group program, 70 (89%) remained in treatment for the maximum of 3 years. The overall value of group treatment for this population is reviewed along with the small number of available publications on open-ended and open-door type groups.     

The ‘Cultural Lag’ Theory

A critique of the "cultural lag" theory evolved by Western sociologists — with particular emphasis on the work of W. F. Ogburn — which examines the reasons advanced by these sociologists for gaps between cultural and technological progress. Published to initiate discussion of the subject in USSR scientific circles. Vestnik Istorii Mirovoi Kultury (Journal of the History of World Culture), 1960, No. 6-slightly abridged.