Premium
THE PERCEPTION OF MAN AND THE CONCEPTION OF SOCIETY: TWO APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY
Author(s) -
BRUNNER KARL
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
economic inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1465-7295
pISSN - 0095-2583
DOI - 10.1111/j.1465-7295.1987.tb00747.x
Subject(s) - enlightenment , relation (database) , scottish enlightenment , perception , positive economics , sociology , epistemology , social science , economics , philosophy , database , computer science
The social sciences offer two distinct approaches to understanding society. One originated with the Scottish moral philosophers and shaped the discipline of economics. The other emerged from the French enlightenment and influenced the study of sociology. The two approaches are based on radically different perceptions of man and man's relation to society. This paper explores these alternative hypotheses and examines some major implications. It concludes that the hypothesis reaching back to the Scottish philosophers provides the basis for a unified approach in the social sciences.