The Perception of Man and the Conception of Society: Two Approaches to Understanding Society

Karl Brunner

Economic Inquiry, 1987, vol. 25, issue 3, 367-88

Abstract: The social sciences offer two distinct approaches to understanding society. One originated with the Scottish moral philosophers and sha ped the discipline of economics. The other emerged from the French en lightenment and influenced the study of sociology. The two approaches are based on radically different perceptions of man and man's relati on to society. This paper explores these alternative hypotheses and e xamines some major implications. It concludes that the hypothesis rea ching back to the Scottish philosophers provides the basis for a unif ied approach in the social sciences. Copyright 1987 by Oxford University Press.

Date: 1987
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