Main Currents in Sociological Thought, Vol. 2: Durkheim, Pareto, Weber

Main Currents in Sociological Thought #2

by Raymond Aron

This volume explores the work of three figures who profoundly shaped sociology as it entered the twentieth century: Emile Durkheim, Vilfredo Pareto, and Max Weber.

Genres: Sociology, Theory, Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Collections, Politics

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Raymond-Claude-Ferdinand Aron (French: [ʁɛmɔ̃ aʁɔ̃]; 14 March 1905 – 17 October 1983) was a French philosopher, sociologist, journalist, and political scientist.
He is best known for his 1955 book The Opium of the Intellectuals, the title of which inverts Karl Marx's claim that religion was the opium of the people – Aron argues that in post-war France, Marxism was the opium of intellectuals. In the book, Aron chastised French intellectuals for what he described as their harsh criticism of capitalism and democracy and their simultaneous defense of Marxist oppression, atrocities, and intolerance. Critic Roger Kimball[2] suggests that Opium is "a seminal book of the twentieth century." Aron is also known for his lifelong friendship, sometimes fractious, with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.[3]
He is also known for his 1973 book, The Imperial Republic: The United States and the World 1945-1973, which influenced Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger, among others.
Aron wrote extensively on a wide range of other topics. Citing the breadth and quality of Aron's writings, historian James R. Garland[4] suggests, "Though he may be little known in America, Raymond Aron arguably stood as the preeminent example of French intellectualism for much of the twentieth century."

Reviews

[Darran Mclaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raymond Aron was famous in his heyday. Amongst other things he was known as 'The Professor' of France and he was Sartre's main intellectual opponent. He deserves to be better known and more widely read today. I picked these books up in a charity shop after reading admiring referrences to him in Postwar and Reappraisals by Tony Judt and Cultural Amnesia by Clive James, and I was not disappointed. He writes in a clear, bold, opinionated but reasonable style that seems to have all but disappeared amongst French cultural figures, especially those most prominant in the English speaking world. When reading him I had the agreeable sensation that I had discovered a civilized, neglected, authoratative and educative writer of genius. I will definitely try to find more of his books. He has also picqued by interest in Max Weber.

[Ethan Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved both volumes of Main Currents in Sociological Thought. Both volumes are entertainingly written introductions to the ideas of the major, big theory people in sociology. (By big theory, I mean more or less all encompassing theories of human nature and history.)

I should confess that I haven't read Durkheim, Pareto, or Weber, so I can't personally attest to the accuracy of the presentations. Durkheim kind of comes across as perpetuating the authoritarian scientism of Comte well after that approach had passed its sell by date. Pareto at first seems fascinating, proposing to strip away the arbitrary elements in human beliefs and practices to finally arrive at the universal tendencies of human nature, things like the need for purification (regardless of the particular ritual) or various ways that groups usually maintain cohesion. As interesting as this seems, Aron ultimately hints that these generalities are mostly obvious or lack explanatory value. (He compares Pareto's explanations to explaining opium's ability to put people asleep by appealing to its dormitive power.)

Weber, of course, is the founder of a great tradition of sociology that, in Aron's view, raises the most interesting questions about the human condition. Aron does him much honor.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the first installment and this back to back, the latter was a big disappointment. All the liveliness of the first is gone from the second. Where Aron put a personal spin on Montesquieu, Comte, Marx, and Tocqueville, here he simply treads through the central works and ideas of the three thinkers. He gets a bit livelier with Weber--his favourite--but the other two chapters were simply boring. Perhaps this is because Aron simply does not like Durkheim and because there is nothing to like about Pareto. I didn't know much about the latter, but now I only wonder why anyone would include him in the classics in the first place. Aron certainly doesn't give us any clues as to why we should consider Pareto relevant. Even the translation isn't quite as lively as in the first installment. Shame.