One-Eyed Social Movements: Rethinking Issues in Rationality and Society

• Published in: Philosophy of the social sciences Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 147 - 172
• Main Author: Cavanaugh, Michael A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.06.1987; Sage; Sage Periodicals Press
• Subjects: Methodology (Philosophical); Philosophy; Philosophy of history. Social and political philosophy. Philosophy of law; Rationality; Science; Social and political philosophy
• ISSN: 0048-3931; 1552-7441
• DOI: 10.1177/004839318701700202

A reexamination of classic sociological thinking about rationality & society from the perspective of recent thinking in the philosophy of science. It is suggested that "one-eyed social movements" such as scientific creationism, which take advantage of social rationality without being reasonable, cast doubt on the idea that society is inherently irrational, which is assumed, for example, in the classical theory of collective behavior. Indeed, the very category of collective behavior is called into question, as is the tendency to explain behavior included in that category as irrational or pathological. Research on the idea of moral economy & on social movements suggests an alternative view. The dimensions of the concept of rationality -- in knowledge-based societies, at once a description & an evaluation -- are explored, & rationality is contrasted with reasonableness, for which there are stronger requirements. 93 References. W. H. Stoddard