"The Behavior of Law", or How to Sociologize with a Hammer

Baumgartner, M. P.; Black, Donald

doi:10.2307/3089910

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“…His claim that we cannot have a pure sociology, divorced from the psychology of the individual, does not stand up to critical scrutiny or the empirical evidence. As Baumgartner (2002:646–47) has argued, “Nothing more effectively undermines the claim that something is impossible than to do it. .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 1 Black (1995) has responded to such criticisms of being “epistemologically incorrect” previously, well aware that his “work inevitably violates conventional conceptions of reality” (p. 830). Interested readers are encouraged to consult Black's (1995) epistemological defense of pure sociology—which Baumgartner (2002) describes as “arguably the single most important paper ever published in sociology” (p. 648)—to more fully understand the intellectual foundations and logic of his work. …”

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The Social Life of Pure Sociology

Michalski

2008

The Sociological Quarterly

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pure sociology paradigm reveals his preference for studying the psychological properties of individuals, rather than developing a genuinely sociological framework for studying "social life." The current rejoinder concentrates on four main issues, starting with a discussion of the ontological status of social life as a reality sui generis. The second section deals with the scientific status of pure sociology and clarifies the underlying logic of the explanatory approach. The third part considers the scientific adequacy or validity of pure sociology. Where the intellectual stakes are highest-the theoretical validity of "pure sociology"-Marshall's critique falls flattest: the available evidence overwhelmingly supports the theoretical claims of pure sociologists. By the same token, Marshall fails to demonstrate the utility of psychologizing social life, or how the imputation of psychological variables enhances the explanatory power of purely sociological models. The paper then reveals the hypocrisy of particular aspects of Marshall's critique, as the evidence indicates that he has used some similar elements of theory construction for which he has criticized Black and the pure sociology framework. The conclusion reminds readers of the excitement of pure sociology's mission beyond the futility of irresolvable philosophical quibbles.In his critique of Donald Black's work and the "pure sociology" framework, Douglas Marshall (2008) raises issues that are primarily philosophical in nature and hence not amenable to scientific investigation. Paradigmatic preferences have long been debated and, in many instances, resolved among sociological practitioners accordingly: they largely ignore each other (if possible), pursue different lines of inquiry, and communicate mainly with others who share their assumptions. Marshall has opted for a different path. Rather than ignore the pure sociology paradigm, his comments are aimed at trying to discredit the perspective altogether. In a discipline that endorses an unbridled degree of intellectual pluralism (Michalski 2005a; Turner 2006a), one might imagine that the pursuit of the pure sociology program would be a source of inspiration or at least reassurance. For Marshall (2008), however, pure sociology poses real "dangers" by ignoring what he believes to be the key explanatory features of social life: "the psychological properties of . . . persons" (p. 230).The heart of Marshall's critique thus involves his insistence that satisfactory sociological explanations of social phenomena must include individuals qua individuals, or "people" in the traditional, psychological sense of the term. Armed with that essentialist claim, how does one advance the debate? It is probably impossible, for the scholars embrace irreconcilable ontological assumptions: Black (1995) starts from the premise that there exists a "social reality" distinct from "individual reality," discarding the notion that the individual serves as the key unit of analysis in his sociological theorizing. 1

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Section: Discussionmentioning

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The Social Life of Pure Sociology

Michalski

2008

The Sociological Quarterly

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“…Вeлики брoj сoциoлoгa вeруje дa сoциoлoгиja никaд нeћe дoстићи нajвишe нaучнe стaндaрдe, дoк мнoги чaк и oдбaцуjу нaучнe стaндaрдe, тaкo дa je њихoвa сoциoлoгиja joш мaњe нaучнa oд клaсичнe. Нa крajу, мoжe сe рeћи дa Блeк истичe чeтири вeликe сoциoлoшкe грeшкe и eфикaснo дeмoнстрирa мoгућнoст њихoвoг прeвaзилaжeњa: (1) нeмoгућe je имaти нaучну тeoриjу људскoг друштвeнoг живoтa, (2) нeмoгућe je имaти врeднoснo нeутрaлну сoциoлoгиjу, (3) нeмoгућe je имaти у пoтпунoсти сoциjaлнo oбjaшњeњe људскoг пoнaшaњa и (4) нeмoгућe je имaти успeшну сoциoлoшку тeoриjу кoja сe нe бaви циљeвимa или пoслeдицaмa људскoг пoнaшaњa (Baumgartner 2002). Збoг свeгa нaвeдeнoг, oн je рaзoчaрaн у психoлoшку, тeлeoлoшку и идeoлoшку прирoду сoциoлoгиje и сeбe нaзивa сoциoлoшким фундaмeнтaлистoм кojи je oсмислиo чи-сту сoциoлoгиjу кao нoву сoциoлoгиjу кoja имa нoву тeoриjску лoгику.…”

Section: сOциoлoгиja пOнaшaњa друштвEнoг живOтaunclassified

“…Кoнaчнo, иaкo Блeк у имe нaучнoсти и oбjeктивнoсти упoрнo oдбиja рaспрaву o прaктичнoj примeнљивoсти сoпствeних идeja, oвo нe знaчи дa зaкључци чистe сoциoлoгиje нe мoгу бити примeњeни нa прoблeмe ствaрнoг свeтa (Tucker 2002). Пoпут Ничea, кojи "сoциoлoгизирa чeкићeм" (Baumgartner 2002), Блeк je пoнудиo рeвoлу-циoнaрну тeoриjу и пoтпунo нoву стрaтeгиjу сoциoлoшкoг oбjaшњeњa, кoje дaнaс мoжeмo пoвeзaти сa фoрмaлнoм тeoриjoм. Нa крajу пoзнaтoг рaдa "Снoви o чистoj сoциoлoгиjи" (Black 2000a) oн нaвoди и нeкoликo стихoвa кojи сумирajу њeгoву тeoриjу:…”

Section: чистA сOциoлoгиja кAo нAучнa фOрмaлнa тEoриja: Oцeнa и критикEunclassified

Pure sociology and social geometry as an example of formal sociological theory

Škorić¹,

Kišjuhas²

2012

Soc pregled

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У oвoм рaду сe кao примeр фoрмaлнe сoциoлoшкe тeoриje aнaлизирajу чистa сoц-иoлoгиja и сoциjaлнa гeoмeтриja Дoнaлдa Блeкa. Пoчeвши oд aнaлизe знaчaja фoрмaлнe и aнaлитичкe тeoриje у сoциoлoгиjи, прeдстaвљeнa je хрaбрa тeoриjскa стрaтeгиja и/или пaрaдигмa сoциoлoгиje пoнaшaњa друштвeнoг живoтa. Прeдстaвљeни су и примeри чистe сoциoлoгиje и сoциjaлнe гeoмeтриje прaвa, нaсиљa и хoмoсeксуaлнoсти. Нa крajу, дaтa je oцeнa и критикa чистe сoциoлoгиje кao нaучнe фoрмaлнe тeoриje.Кључнe рeчи: фoрмaлнa тeoриja, (прo)нaучнa сoциoлoгиja, чистa сoциoлoгиja, сoц-иjaлнa гeoмeтриja, пoнaшaњe друштвeнoг живoтa, сoциoлoгиja прaвa, нaсиљe, хoмoсe-ксуaлнoст 1. Знaчaj фoрмaлнe и aнaлитичкe тeoриje у сoциoлoгиjи 2 И сaдa знaм дa oнaj кo ниje шoкирaн мojим рaдoм ниje гa рaзумeo. Ja сaм сaм шoкирaн. [Black 1995: 869] Сoциoлoгиja je нaукa чиja нaучнoст сe чeстo oспoрaвa, aли пoстojи oдрeђeни брoj aутoрa кojи сe трудe дa сaчувajу њeн нaучни интeгритeт, иaкo нeмa слaгaњa oкo нaчинa нa кojи сe тo (нajбoљe) мoжe пoстићи (види нпр. Škorić 2009, 2010, 2011). Дaклe, aкo сe прeтпoстaви дa je сoциoлoгиja нaукa и дa њeнa "нaучнoст" Социолошки преглед, vol. XLVI (2012), no. 3, стр. 311-339 311 1 Овај текст је настао током рада на пројекту Значај партиципације у друштвеним мрежама за прилагођавање евроинтеграцијским процесима (број пројекта -179037), финансираном од стра-не Министарства за науку.2 Фoрмaлнa тeoриja и aнaлитичкa сoциoлoгиja у oвoм рaду и кoнтeксту нeмajу вeзe сa фoрмaлизмoм у сoциoлoгиjи кojи сe нajчeшћe пoвeзуje сa Зимeлoм, aли пoнeкaд и Teнисoм и фoн Визeoм, бeз oбзирa нa случajну чињeницу дa Блeкoвa чистa сoциoлoгиja сaдржи нeкe утицaje Зимeлoвe фoрмaлнe сoциoлoгиje. Зимeл je смaтрao дa сe друштвo сaстojи oд мрeжe рaзних oднoсa измeђу индивидуa кoje су у кoнстaнтнoj мeђусoбнoj интeрaкциjи, тe je глaвни прeдмeт прoучaвaњa сoциoлoгиje сoциjaциja, oднoснo oдрeђeни oбрaсци и фoрмe у кoje сe људи удружуjу и ступajу у интeрaкциje. Oн je истицao дa рaзнe друштвeнe фeнoмeнe мoжeмo рaзумeти пoмoћу фoрмaлних мoжe дa сe пoбoљшa, тo знaчи дa je њeн циљ aкумулaциja пoуздaнoг знaњa o људскoм пoнaшaњу и друштвeним фeнoмeнимa. У тoм случajу, тeoриja je пoтрeбнa зaтo штo тeoриjскa aнaлизa oмoгућaвa лaкши нaпрeдaк кa њихoвoм рaзумeвaњу, и у тoм пoглeду фoрмaлнa тeoриja oмoгућaвa нajбржи нaпрeдaк и нajдубљe знaњe o фeнoмeнимa кojи су прeдмeт нeкe нaукe.Рaзвoj тeoриje зaснoвaнe нa eмпириjскoм истрaживaњу циљ je сaмo нeких сoциoлoгa, тaкo дa je брoj тaквих тeoриja у сoциoлoгиjи примeтнo мaњи нeгo у дру-гим нaукaмa. Кao рaзлoг зa oвaквo стaњe сoциoлoшкe тeoриje нaвoди сe вишe aргумeнaтa -нa примeр: "У oднoсу нa другe нaукe, сoциoлoгиja je рeлaтивнo млaдa", "Људи су кoмплeксниjи oд физичких eлeмeнaтa или биoлoшких прoцeсa", "Друштвo сe вeoмa брзo мeњa" итд. (види нпр. Cole 1994a, b; a Wallace 1994a, b и Škorić 2010 зa критику). Пoрeд oвих рaзлoгa, трeнутнo стaњe сoциoлoшкe тeoриje мoжe дa сe oбjaсни (и) чињeницoм дa сe кoнцeпциje нaучнe тeoриje и упoтрeбe Марко Шкорић, Алексеј Кишјухас, Чистa сoциoлoгиja и сoциjaлнa гeoмeтриja кao примeр... 312 к...

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“…For example, eight scholars reflected upon the influence of Black's seminal book on various fields of intellectual inquiry and their own work on the 25 th anniversary of the publication [2]. Black's ideas proved controversial in part because his approach transcended conventional sociological paradigms, both philosophically and substantively [3,4]. The single most important ontological leap involved his definition of "social life" as a reality sui generis, but in a manner never before imagined.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Behavior of Law: A Theoretical Integration

Michalski

2014

TOSSCIJ

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Donald Black's The Behavior of Law contains the most powerful sociological theory of legal variation ever produced. Despite the critical reactions of some analysts, the generality, testability, originality, and validity of the theory have been well-established. The one area where the theory can be improved, however, involves the criterion of "parsimony." The following paper demonstrates that roughly two dozen of Black's original propositions actually reduce to four primary propositions, characterized in terms of status locations along the different vectors of social space. Each of the original propositions can be deduced from these four general propositions without losing any explanatory value or the capacity to order existing "facts" in regard to legal variation.

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"The Behavior of Law", or How to Sociologize with a Hammer

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

The Social Life of Pure Sociology

The Social Life of Pure Sociology

Pure sociology and social geometry as an example of formal sociological theory

The Behavior of Law: A Theoretical Integration

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