European social model, reformism, and social sciences

• Published in: Quaderni di sociologia Vol. 56; no. 59; pp. 67 - 80
• Main Author: Sidoti, Francesco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Italian
• Published: 01.01.2012
• Subjects: 20th century; Beliefs; Cold War; Europe; European Union; Friendship; Inequality; Knowledge; Law; Left Wing Politics; Post World War II Period; Poverty; Rationality; Reform; Runaways; Social Inequality; Social policy; Social Sciences; Values; War; Welfare reform; World War II
• ISSN: 0033-4952

While the best moment of social sciences in Europe was the affirmation of the European social model (ESM), nowadays we are living in an age of marginalization of both social sciences and ESM. Social sciences have enhanced the growth of the ESM, and today the weakening of the ESM leads to their own weakening. It's a common destiny, but in a separate and parallel way. Social sciences have not been a significant factor in supporting or defending the European social model. With the end of World War II, a golden age began for social sciences, which in authoritarian systems had suffered restrictions and barriers of all kinds. In the postwar era, social sciences rebirth, thanks to the blank draft paid by the new and affluent world. There was a civilization to rebuild, and it was commonly thought that social sciences would have been at the forefront of an epochal war against poverty, inequality, social rage, political anti-systems beliefs. During European election in 1940's, the leftist successes legitimized reforms which had not been prepared, studied, argued, discussed, but that were still imposed by the Cold War. During the following years, social sciences have been more critical than friend of the ESM, seen as too prosaic and distant from ideal models of perfect doctrine. Nevertheless, the poor, the humble, the sick, the unfortunate had chances they had never had in history. Now we live in a runaway world: it moves very quick, but not with enough brakes and rules. In general, it seems that the spirit of the time had shone too strong to be looked at and well understood at its greatest splendor. In the gray of dusk, we can think of a possible restructuring and rebirth, but with our mournful regret for the loss of a great and unique form of humanity. If the owl of Minerva begins its flight at dusk, even for social sciences knowledge and acknowledgment may come too late, when reality has made its path to the end, and then the past is finally rational, but its splendor can not be renewed. Adapted from the source document.