The ‘phenomenological’ sociology of Alfred Schutz
- 1 February 1972
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Economy and Society
- Vol. 1 (1) , 1-27
- https://doi.org/10.1080/03085147200000001
Abstract
Schutz's basic project is to show that ‘the world of objective mind’ can be reduced to the behaviour of individuals. This basic project governs his philosophy and his sociology. After a preliminary examination of his account of how the social scientist proceeds it is shown that Schutz's humanism induces a psychologistic distortion of Husserl's phenomenology which leads to a ‘sociologising’ of his realm of transcendental intersubjectivity. It also leads to a theory of science in which the determining element is the attitude of the scientist. These enable Schutz to present as scientific a humanistic social science and history which are are nothing but special kinds of story-telling. The cost of his humanism is a world in which there can be no science of history and no rational politics.Keywords
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