Social Action

Description

The papers contained in this volume are based on the contributions to an international, interdisciplinary Symposium entitled 'Analytical and Sociologi­ cal Action Theories' which took place in Berlin (West) on September 1-3, 1982. Each part comprises a main paper followed by two (in Part IV three) papers commenting on it. On the whole there is an equal division into philo­ sophical and sociological papers. In particular each main paper receives both inter- and innerdisciplinary comments. The Berlin Symposium was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Bonn) and, to a smaller extent, by the Freie UniversiHit Berlin; both grants are acknowledged gratefully. Berlin and Helsinki, May 1984 GOTTFRIED SEEBASS RAIMO TUOMELA vii GOTTFRIED SEEBASS INTRODUCTION I. It is a striking fact that the extended efforts of both sociologists and analytical philosophers to work out what is termed a 'theory of action' have taken little, if any, account of each other. Yet of the various reasons for this that come to mind none appears to be such as to foil any hopes for fruitful interdisciplinary exchange. Being concerned, apparently, with the same set of phenomena, viz. individual and social actions, the two theories can reasonably be expected to be partially overlapping as well as competitive and complementary. Accordingly each can eventually be shown by the other to need completion or revision. Whether or to what extent this is the case is subject to inquiry and discussion. Front Matter....Pages i-xx Analytical Action Theory: Breakthroughs and Deadlocks....Pages 1-41 One Action — Two Theories?....Pages 43-52 The Contradictory Aims of Action Theory....Pages 53-59 The Concept of ‘Action’ in Sociological Analysis....Pages 61-87 Comments on Jonathan H. Turner, ‘The Concept of “Action” in Sociological Analysis’....Pages 89-94 Action, and Social Action....Pages 95-102 Social Action....Pages 103-127 Analytical Action Theory as a Conceptual Basis of Social Science....Pages 129-137 We-Intentions and Process-Oriented Problems of Social Action....Pages 139-147 Reply to Seebass and Miller....Pages 149-150 Remarks on the Concept of Communicative Action....Pages 151-178 Habermas on Communicative Action....Pages 179-186 Understanding as an Aim and Aims of Understanding....Pages 187-196 Critique of Habermas’s Theory of Communicative Action....Pages 197-205 Max Weber’s Distinction Between Means-End Rationality and Value-Rationality — Rationale, Scope, Difficulties....Pages 207-223 Value-Rationality and the Distinction Between Goal-Oriented and Value-Oriented Behavior in Weber....Pages 225-233 Value-Rationality in Weber....Pages 235-241 Rationality and Valuation....Pages 243-277 Epistemology and the Rationality of Beliefs and Valuations....Pages 279-283 Rationality in the Light of the Epistemological Analogy....Pages 285-293 Reply to Döbert and Vossenkuhl....Pages 295-297 Back Matter....Pages 299-302