sociology and freedom

8/7/2019 Sociology and Freedom

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./College or CareerDevelopmentBehavioralSciencesDepartment De La SalleUniversityMrs.CristitaR. Almonte-Mallari

SOCIOLOGY ND FREEDOM.l?::,ii:,i:?:l;,Sociology,greatlyto the surpriseof ntostof its older practitioners, as acquired hereputation f a iberating$iscipline.Sociology eurses recrowdedwith studentsn search f the

intellectualools with which to demolish he hypocriticalworld of their elde.ls nd fashion orthcmsclvcs,f not fo r sobictyat large,a neyrauthg.nticitynd a nelv. rdi.dom.Evenmoreastonishing xpectationsredirected owardsociology y students ho adhereo the radical eft.For them,sociology s nothing ess han the theoreticalarm of revglulionarLpraxjs, hat is aliberating iscipline n the literal se.psef a radical rans&rmation f the.socialorder. t issociology n this latterunderstandinghat hasbeenassociated iththe remarkable roportionofstudents f the field who are amongeadingactivists f theNew Left,both n Americaand nWesternEurope-to the point where herenow are firms in Germanyand n Francescreeningjgb applicantsn orderto ba, thosewho have akensociologycourses.Even in this country,wheresociologys established ore irmly in academic,hereareplaceswhere he field hastaken naslightlydisreputablelavor. :All this s very recent ndeed.Onlya few years gomostoutsiders,f they houghof asociologist t all, thoughof him asa dry character, ith an nsatiableust for statistics ho atbest might dig up someda'tesgf use to policy makersand et worst (in the words of onemalevolentl ommentator)might spend en thousand ollars o discover he local houseof illrepute. t would have'required wild imagrnationo conceiveof this unexciting lpe as an objectof interesteither for youngiseekers ftersalvationor the FBI. It. h"?s,frapperredll the sarne.Especially mongyounger.membersf the professionhere are now serieusaspirantsodrasticallydifferent magesof the sociologist.There s the imageof the dociologistas one ofseveral unr ypeswithin theyouthculture,n closeproximity o the evangelistsf psychedelia,T-groups ysticism,ndother ashionableospels.heres also hc mage f thesociologistsa carrierof revolutionarydoctrine and,potentiallyat least, aS a charqpteq.throwingclotoi

cocktails hrough the windows," f, the, faculty club (in. either direction, dependingoncircumstances).oth images aveprovokeddismayaswell as enthusiasm. he former mege sespecially alling for psychologists,,h_o uddenly ind themselves.challengedn what sorecenttywasa monopolyn the reatment f the metapHysicalfflictions'of ntellectuals.helater.,images a sourqeof alarm,,not nly'to univqrsityadministratorsnd'law,renforcemehtofficers, ut to orthodoxMarxists,whodescribehenew adical ociologistsn'terms hatcouldhave ebonowedromSpiroAgnew.Thegreatest ismay,naturally, omes rom sociologists. lacidsurveyors f Parsoniantheory are suddenlyconfrontedwith demandso be "rqlevant" o the turbulentand constantlyshifting commitmentsof the young. Graduates f the Bureauof Applied Social Research,collectorsandprodrrcers f multiple correlalionswith impeccablemargins of error, suddenlyhear themselves enounced s academic irelingsof the military-industrial omplex.Tliisconfrontationetweenheold and he newsociology, yawninggeneration ap f thereeverwasone,couldbe fully observed t the 1969meetings f theAmericanSociological ssociationnSanFrancisco.herewere hevarious aucusesf.radicaleftists, lackmilitants, nd perhapsmost frightening f ell) liberated r wanting-to-beiberated'womenociologists,achgroupdoing ts thing n theantisepticorridors f theSanFrancisco ilton.Amid this novel uror, hemajority,almost urtively,went about ts usualbusiness f interveningob candidates,rinkingpublishers'iquor. nd eadingapersn atrociousnglish., SAgiology houldbe an instrume4t.f,orhe exjstentialibgratio.n f the indivi4\ral: tshould eaweaponLthg:evolUlioEar,vtruegleo ljb_e{ateociety. o anyone.familiar ith thehistory i the discipline,hese otions restartling,n not ronic. In theoriginsof sociology,there .l,nsnclecd cprasi-rcligiousonceptionf it t lrcconceptionf Auguste onrte ndhisfollowers.Comte,however, nvisaged ociology s an antirevolut ionaryoctrine, s the newchurch, hatwas to restoreorder andprogressn the wakeof the havoccaused y the FrenchRevolution.With few exceptions,owever,he Comtian iew of sociologyasHeilswissento

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r,''As ounderstandingoqi;r9e-ti;;;:J$tdqiilil6-#;;iir,'i, ij noteworthythat omef theSreatesJlasgiciiuressu.nlilni*.wsber,Emile:ri-u*r,ri*,nd ilfredoPareto)nvtistedgoodeat f effo-in*har treyilideiiil;#ilffii;ir,oe u*ism. MostclassicociologynEurop_e* a qqler reyoputiolery,,andr, ie,i;ihliiritrri'"?r*J;ril;- 9t:F*'^Earlv{*tti93 sociolorgvfe4,.3.unongeformlo!,1gmur,uiiui*",ut,roreongerdal,toYMCAsecretarieshanorevolutionariesr.prpaphe,rslspiriti,.r iftti."n. Evenhismildreformismbecame,atmost'asubniergedmotiias'3eIE'f' '@d.ffi'. '@becamestablishedsbinding onnswi-thinheprofe;i;--- ' :-. .I haveno satisfyingxplanatior,felhi'recent rarnatichanges,in'theonceptionfsociology,ne canpoint'of Course.o certainntellectualoul6ss-ft; Wrigtt Mills in this99qry' theso-called rankfurtSchooi1 Germany,ndMarxists-turned-sociologists,uchasHenriLefebvre,n France.his, hough,oes otexplainnv irres.liaiviauurr nd heir deas

1-.: i ,' : . : . : ' ': . :. : . , , . : -. . 1, . :. ':,JeMaxShefer'serm)didnotsrnrviveorgmr classic geoi ttt-r- iscipline,heperiod oughly7letweel 1890 nd. 930.None .f he classic,sociologisti'wouldhaveeen aqeto makemuch sensef the urrentotion f sociology{.a ehicle fpersonaliberation,.:,'-' - i- * '- "'"1'

have uddenlyomeo.exerr ucha powertulnfluence. ;;";t ;;;;; ,h.r, as s often hecasen the history f ideas,herg_isstrong element f chaneen rhe .-, "ri-',*1,;.:,^::. . .r$rJ, Yyrw!/vrl: h, Tv ;*'?*1t itxffiA odevotemyself ereospeculation:l*l^*.t:.T,:n: lr

this*4,tv bjzanemarriagenot he easteason."- ffi;T;l;yT\: it will last long).Rather han o exptoiehistorical ;, i;irr, to took at thetheoreticaluestion t ssue,o wit: In wh Idis.ciplin-q?

"Thc relationship etweenSociologyandFreedoms not assirrple,or a cheerful,as he adicalsn theprofessionwouldhaveusbelieve."I shallapproachhe question y way of two seemingly ontradictory ropositions:l),a1oli1. t 'ugg;tth;- .6g1l , .proposi t ionsarecorrect,andthatunderstandinghisTtt! ur.oo*ntt *"t.tuato**o o"*""qro.,oto*u *o u"*o*, ar easronthe. leve|ofpol i t ics.( Ishouldaddherethofr ,o*anempir icalscienceanor cannot ealwithman's{e-qd9msclearlyoutsiie he's*p,lrtirrs paper).

^ Sociology'is ubversivef establishedutt.r* oi ttrougl"lt.tris, orfourse, s todayafavorite:notion f thosewho woulc marrysociologyo radical-politics, f.* yearsagqmostsociologistsouldhavebeen hocked r honestly-bewilderedy the proposition.hen, t.wasthose itha vestednterestn establishedattems f thought ho(i f the nelegantimilemaybeforgiven)'smelledhe atbeforehose hoput t there. rJcall remarkmadeo *, in 1956 yabarbern thesouthemownwhere had ust startedmy first eachingob. After I toldhim whatwas teaching:-ht- aused morepensivelyhan hosiility)and reriarked, .oh, I know abouisociologists'ou're he guyswho wroteall those ootnoiesn the Supreme ourtdecision nfttilg the colored nto the schools.".Hewasright, of course,n an extended ense,f notliterally' wonder owmanyof thesociologistrtio blsily gatheredll thosedateo theplace fNegro n America someof them are Southemersiving quite comfortably l . ;;jrC;;:""".1:yl,:ig'::.1 Yt IIy ^*:':. ^glovidinshe egitiriationsor on, oi the great ocial::::ftrj:':.:^l ?:: T'r 1t, irergSttv,I 1vss.ir''iEvery uman ociety asassumptionrtut, nged or::l::j:1,f::.j::,,,iTl:19 ii.Tervsocietyhere.areutir'n, rT.;rn, thatmost eopteacceptithoutuestionsbeingf he ery'natlre'ofhis. lfred chutz.urr.oiiilfi;iffi;"the world'taken;for-granted,"hictr rdvidesrtheparameterst"J-ti"-tr"jl'^, -o-o r^- ^..rMtq*" ,!:sallep-lerymenon ith theirconqgpti


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snowlnsm4t lt ls oqly one ot sgveral,possibleiewqof society.That is alreadydangerousenoughand would provide sufficientgrounds or sociologistso becomewhat the Prussianauthorities sed o call polizeibekannt*of interesto the cognitive f not to the actualpolice-and, let me add, every societyhas its cognitivepolice.men ho administer he 'bfficial"dellnitionsf reality, utsociology,t lest n certain ituations,s moredirectly ubversive.tqnqrasks-bpted.nte.{ests.andakes isiblg he Eanqe,rn whigh helalter are serve4 y soclel. At l.estn ce4ainsituations.hensociology air,be olitical lvnamite.A favorite erm qf the New Left in Europeand Latin America s derived rom thevocabulary f psychoanalysis--Bewusstmachungn German, onscientizationn Spanish-perhapsest ranslateds"hringins o consci ," This S hgprocess f soci4lcritique_yich the mvstificativhtch he mystificationsof "false consciousness"redemolishedand he wav is nreoared or thesheddemystifi.e3onsciousfressece-ssafyor reyolutionary,iaxis. I shall return shortly to thequestionof revolutionarypraxis.As to the first aspectof the term, the subversive ffeclsofcritic?lspcialpnalysis n conscielrsnesq,t mustbe admittedhat t pertainso sociologyn avery'basicway.will find himsrpotentially,hismakes im unsafen theeyes f theguardiansf lawandorder.unsafely,ometimes ithcatastrophicffects,or hisowhpeace f mind. It alsoproduces"Bringing o consciousness,"n thissense, oesndeed avea liberating uality.But thefreedomo which t leads, uiteapart tom ts possible olitical ffects, anbe a rathererriblething. lt is the freedomcf ecstasy,n the literal sense f ek-statis-$ggp!@s recal Saoart from routine comfortsaqrd outine security,Thus, if thpre is a relalionshipbetweenipbetwsenhatF -- ' ' - - ' - '_ .--ecstasynd.hgogssibility f despeptip{r.oward heendof his ife Max Weberwasasked y afriend o whomhe hadbeenexplaininghe verypessimisticonclusionsf his sociologitalanalysis,But, f you hink hisway,whydoyoucontinueoing ociology?" eber'seply soneof themostchillingstatementsknow n thehistory'ofyesternhough: Becausewani oknowhow much can stand."Alfred Seidel,a student f Weber's ho was alsogreatlyinfluencedyFreud, ameo anevenmore essimisticonclusionn his ittlebookapproptiutrtyentitledBewusstsein.ls Verhaengnis s Doom. Seidelconcludedhat the co{nbincd'critical. :cal

to life itsglf.Whatever thermotivesheremayhavebeen,Seidel's uicide'u.:ui*rttg r*n inthe 1920s, vas:anexistential atificationof this view of the "bringing to consiio"g,ess"ofsociology. :

prcpositionutdiffcrently, panepraxis.actually nhibits the latter in .most cFses.Put differentlyonce rore, fomenie.sof

" At least

.My purposesnot o suggesthatsociologists,o beconsistenthould ll comr4jt uicide.I have a 'somgWhatmore benig4' view ;of the existentialpossibilities f sociologicalconsciousness.ather, ryTt to pointoul that he elationshipetween ociology nd reedJmsnot assimple,or ascheerful,as heradicalsn theprofession ouldhaveusbelGve,yes, theresa liberating uality o thediscipline f,sociology. es,.thereresituations here ociologicalunderstandingan be liberatingn a po[iticaland at leasrn termsof my own values)moially

revolution aveasgood easono be suspiciousf sociology spolicemen ave.Thispointcan


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lt"^Y^:l .!1!l@I[Iuuilv:@,gfgontinui.ty'ndof triviality.Eachof thise liesG thffir-"f some f the ondest eliefs f thecontemporaryeft.After a Tecentectureof mineon so.ciologicalheory,a perceptive tudent emarkedoill^I:l,Y:lt::'i 11q-,1P" as otarbltrar.vilnadvertent.ehindt is theconvictionhattheadditionalonvictiorilwhictr .*"o-tconstitutionf man, hat i, thu,"hang-up rder."

radicals.controls,

Mostr:.:li:ll:1'el*t,3, -theinpsllbslotlps-and, cf course,,t is in this sensehat

thembut from where heyc6me.ChiE:-- !r .:r , vsvr l !9 wvl IL l --y askwhatwill becomef

Perhapshe physiological afoundation f this s the rr.A fo, ste.p

sAtgt I latn:y:Jj':::" I i,: l,::l .:"1 3.* _osoer, ,;;, i rb o oio.,.d ;,nrojrbffill'land, urther, here,gfg

storeorany evolutionaryraxishat rilstog..$ ,hir;;il.fteimperativeof centinuWl: tl":ttt *ritrJ t", uut-notdentical ith, he mperativeforder. supposehat, inally, |! If onqhast

in

. I fffi'#::,o:::,:3li:: !nilj*':t havehem),neand hereare very ftt lllll,,fj*-lll-jr,"::r:y^,,,lf,o.nr..loves=one_s.ur.nl (thecurrent.generationcrisis,,otwithstanding,am nclined{ohinkhathis,'too,';r:;;rril;'ir ii'ililill",lliifl,constant), one will not finallv want to disnnraop ewanrrrin- ir.n$ ^^-^ejr-.^r rrY..e!*r*/ , y r lv wtrt t tvt l l l lpespeciallyot f one omeso t,ou; t

but osocialiscontin'ity.;th*i'ortrbrviot.nt.t,ffiffihavechildren) ai l to recognize his. Successfulevolu'rionariesind orri ehn'r rha ri,.ir- ^ldisorder,luuiryioi,,i,1i",",*l'li;i,iiil::tl,J'r""'Jl","J;:i:J*:::,:,T:lJnli:iihave ainedontrol.heexperien'esithesovieirg,;; *riirir'i"rirfi; of the amity ndf religionare nstructiven thisregard.

re rrrey u*e' un-rrq,rgnreour hoslaggg,!ghistory. onsequentry,o be affiffitr"lim::: jfl r11*:1 h1el";ffi pii,lu,ion)oh?ye. Adaresult,here "eimits oi;yi;#.1 d;

"Thesociologistasngfdoctrine f redemptiono bring nfo hepoliticalarena.,, .suspect,logtid i_4 o{nb aiipfaets f thehuman

O a a l l n 1 t t


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institution4l'order.'o** ',nre.,,,,rii,,o,,.- 1gtr^ "t$'indiyidual' utti frEiffi ,

affectingis ife, ould,f reiliz;;,-."^r,i,"ir-',;"iril#r:"1';{ff.illr.",rrJ::ff;leeplessness']ortunalely,t is anthropologicallynrrutiruute,hough heendless.discussion,,thatgoeson in radicalgroupsgivesa certainupp.o*i*uiion of the horror hat its rearizationouldsignify' [It is oneof the mercies f humannature hat finally, all participants nd alliscussantsust all asleep.]I have ried to explicatehe conservativeentof sociology y pointing o somebasicmperativesf social ife ihatshouldl$: ttresociologi.itrpti.ui'or notionr-or iorent hangendhesitanto commithimself o revolurion*ypru*ii."i irritit ii.irr^i.rioncrusions canbel#J'iiX,,lllillllrlJ:::':]:T'lr*l.'li Jffiil anarvsis,orhe ctuarrocessesr

but choicesof thougb!.

r,ijf,ffi Y;,lil,lTlii{;l1illi,f,?"T;:1,*i$:f*iltir*1ry1?c,rr,. Y:,:l'lii ttrcnut'"ffi ffi ,,,"JiT:f":::ffi;,:::fflijjy,,_d;&i:t;#,;fffil,?,-Tililiiiblt- #fJJT":y.3'["Jllrevotution.ran his.addp-ro,onrd*u;;;;C#,;,'?;tJi:ril'J:trilil::,:::Tlir,ijco-nservatismn question s or u ptauiiarkind. It is no t a conservari sm qcerr n rr.o^^-..i^r,^-

Rather,t isprograqrsfor newsocialorders. t is, if youWirfr,l#,Tj$lll.o:j::::":::y:.rTni,ttttr ;]ff;:il'imist.Theseeming#gT:#:.#:n[,]::,:l*:::i,,,,*ly,t,F;:iJ',ffill,lfi::ffiX,xl;[$.J^This,f course,s exactlyhekindoi rnunwhomIo-ungevolutionariesill call a fit. So be it. tt i.rJ ryuevt .r sarvruqy, nougnt-qllough,"ooncgllt, hG:" rhe act hata generationhathasadecyrtureeroui6Ft "t c*-'ilil' ;#ffif [;:; i]i,'il:;il.llff :tf Iffi J:iar e,::::^?:9::a111111sres ordnarymen n,un-or.nchedeaches.sociorogv,herefore,sarliberatirei;.i;ri.. ; il ;ffiifi -"y. Therean enoffiSH:.lli:,lll_;,y:f;:,:lli::l$:T;.{ l:,::potentiary,,!ssis!y_!0eypornts p I 1t !h: sameime,howi*t, @lrgy

Ihe

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to be value-freen principle, ceasesopropaeanda,nda and becomes othingbut ideoloqyion.The practitioner f thel::n..f"?, treyg3l*-aliving truma .'rhe momentebetrays his humanity and (in an operation hut@ b, called ,.false^^-o^ i^r . *o- . t t ^- f a3L^ -t . t1- i r r - t l \ rconscioumess"nd "bad faith")appropriateo concludehese bservationsitha ittlehomily. $e vr'eve 'r rowe may eturn ere o the wo mages f thesociologisthatwereconjured pearlier-tlat of thesociologists he antisepticallyeutralechniciannd hatof thesociologists hefiercely ommitted artisan. think irat ttesociologicalefthas e.;;;;t t#t, right,ethicallyspeaking,n its denunciations f the former typi (even f it has urln uiair in individualinstances)'n anage n whichnotonly reedomut rti verysuwivalof man s n eopardy,hereis-somethingbscene bout he scientistwho claims hathe is not responsibleor theuses owhichhis sciences put.'This is not to deny n anyway the right oi inaiuia*r, ," rJrii"theoreticalife or to abstain rom political engagemint.ttir .igh-t,ho*rurr, can be exercisedmoreacceptablyv Byza{inologists hanby moit sociologists. oriotogy l;";;fi]t"ff;theagonizing ilernnraloj our timeto permitmostof its piactito"rtr t,r"i,;;*r theirtheoreticalintgrestsn detachmentfrom the stuggles of their fellow-men. t is clear, beyond hat, thesociologist n the employ of politiially - relevant organizationscannot disclaim politicalrespo-nsibilityor his work-apoint hathasbeen mpressid n us very forcefullyby thedebatethat ollowed herevelations boutprojectCamelot.Because f these onsiderations,empilasize y belief n thepoliticalpartisanshipfsociologists'andoncedehatat imes hispartisanshipaybequite ierce. orexanrple,hentcomeso the Pentagon's_ieyof Latin,:America,y own political eactionsend o .beofconsiderablgerociousness-t is equally'imqgglt to stiegs; owever,hat hesociolo;is;h;sn;;9opHnt of r9derynliono bring inio tttt potitir.l arena.witut he has o ron"iiute is thecriticalintelligence,thats, or should e, he oundation f hisdiscipline.'ftr*, ;*il;;il;;ll;;methodologicalandate.heres patenlsornef them.Hisdistinctiueontributiono politicsshould ehis' consistent,nswervingpplicationf critical ntelligenc*a ,t. sratus uo,yes,and to any challenger f the statusquo. Indeed,when u..roriiiogir, :"ii, ;;;i;;*imovementan option I have ndicated would not normallypresclbrj, hi, most importantpoliticalconhibution o it will be his.ongoingcritiqueor it.-Fut differently,my principalobjectiono mostof my radicalizedolleaguess not hut ttt.y *, ,ngugrd n thebusinessf"bringing o consciousness"ut that heyarJnotooinj enough f it.To whomwill sucha conceptiolof 99. sociologist'sole appeal?Evidentlynot to thosewhosimplywantagareern anykindof establishmeniand ot o thosewhosee hemselvessMessiamicigures, t is all to clear hat both such ypesare strongly epresentedn Americansociologyoday. have-found,owever,andnot east-among y students,hat hereareothers-thosewhoarestill willing to commit hemselves ititantlyo reason. nd reason as ts ownseductiveness.

bea

science. hesewo statementsbout.uutl1$ll-T}::1,:::il:!":lll1 y^1tue-rrq1ooT..rhe ociorosi't' ;tiil'i nutperhapst is

sociology and freedom

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