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A History of Social Thought
A History of Social Thought
A HISTORY OF SOCIAL THOUGHT BY EMORY S. BOGARDUS, Ph.D. Professor and Head of Department of Sociology and Social Work University of Southern California Author of INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY ESSENTIALS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY ESSENTIALS OF AMERICANIZATION 1922 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PRESS 3474 UNIVERSITY AVENUE LOS ANGELES Copyright 1922, University of Southern California Press JESSE RAY MILLER UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PRESS LOS ANGELES DEDICATED TO MY STUDENTS WHO ARE TRANSFORMING
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PREFACE
PREFACE
This book is written for the world of students. In it any seriously-minded person should find a fundamental background for understanding the central theme of human progress, a substantial basis for attacking the most important problems of the day, and a call to renew his faith in the soundness of human aspirations. Inasmuch as this treatise is written for students, it is not intended to be the last word on the subject, but simply a first word. The theme of each chapter is in itself a subject for
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Chapter I The Nature of Social Thought
Chapter I The Nature of Social Thought
Man faces a world of social problems. As a result he is perplexed beyond description; his thinking often ends in confusion. Inasmuch as the average citizen, for the first time in the world’s history, is beginning to attack social problems, he is entitled to all the aid that can be made available. Upon the success of the average person in mastering the intricacies of social thinking, the cause of democracy depends. A large proportion of the analyses of social questions has been academic. These di
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Chapter II Earliest Social Thought
Chapter II Earliest Social Thought
Primitive people were inquisitive. They thought about what happened and they sought explanations. Their attention was centered on the tangible phenomena of life. Their imagination worked out fantastic and superstitious interpretations. They reasoned about the daily occurrences of life in concrete, graphic, and personal terms. Primitive people everywhere, apparently, sensed in a piecemeal and microscopic way the meaning of social relationships. Archeological records disclose crude and simple, but
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Chapter III The Social Thought of Ancient Civilizations
Chapter III The Social Thought of Ancient Civilizations
In this chapter the discussion of earliest social thought will be presented from the standpoint of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria, India, China, and Persia. The evidences of social thought are meagre and inchoate. Nevertheless, there are data which cannot be ignored. Inferential evidence and proverbial references constitute the main portion of these data. (1) The ancient Egyptian social order was bureaucratic and autocratic. The king was supreme. With the rise of the T
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Chapter IV The Social Thought of the Hebrews
Chapter IV The Social Thought of the Hebrews
Ancient Egyptian, Babylonian and Assyrian, East Indian, Chinese, and Persian records disclose a set of elemental and yet more or less passive social backgrounds against which the social ideals of the Hebrew prophets shine forth like stars of the first magnitude. The Pentateuch and the writings of the Hebrew wise men are rich in gleams of a social spirit, while the Hebrew prophets, notably, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, uttered flaming indictments of social evils. The Hebrews stood head and
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Chapter V Plato and Grecian Social Thought
Chapter V Plato and Grecian Social Thought
In turning to a study of Grecian civilization we find a development of social thought which on the rational side excels in many particulars the social thinking of the Hebrews, but which in its affective elements falls far below the quality of Hebrew social thought. We may expect to find, therefore, in Grecian social thought important new contributions which are complementary to the legacies from the Hebrews, and which when taken in conjunction with the early Christian forms of Hebrew social thou
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Chapter VI Aristotle and Grecian Social Thought
Chapter VI Aristotle and Grecian Social Thought
Aristotle (384–322 B. C.), the distinguished pupil of Plato, did not make, like his master, a unified contribution to social thought. He sacrificed unity for the examination of parts. Aristotle was an opportunist, a pragmatist, and a practical student of conditions and constitutions. Unlike Plato, Aristotle did not look for Ideas separate from but in things. Aristotle studied 158 constitutions inductively and comparatively. His primary attention was given to what is, rather than to what ought to
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Chapter VII Roman Social Thought
Chapter VII Roman Social Thought
Roman social thought is an outgrowth of Hellenic philosophic movements. It is represented in part by the codification of important phases of societary control—the product of the legalistic genius of the Romans. Stoicism, moreover, greatly affected and conditioned the meager social thinking of the Roman scholars. Lucretius (99–55 B. C.) was the chief Roman exponent of Epicureanism. In his story of social evolution he began with the various phases of the biological struggle for existence, and proc
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Chapter VIII Early Christian Social Thought
Chapter VIII Early Christian Social Thought
Christian social thought is the direct outgrowth of Hebrew social concepts. Amos and Hosea and Isaiah paved the way for the social teachings of Jesus. The social commandments of the Old Testament were the progenitors of the modified social injunctions of the New Testament. Job, the social citizen, was not an unworthy precursor of Jesus, the lover of humanity. Out of the love and tender care for children which thrived in Hebrew homes there arose the concept of the brotherhood of man and the Fathe
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Chapter IX Social Thought in the Middle Ages
Chapter IX Social Thought in the Middle Ages
The social thought of the Middle Ages was in part a reflection of the unsettled social conditions, and in part an outgrowth of the thought and life of the five centuries which intervened between the beginning of the Christian Era and the Fall of Rome. During these centuries the Church Fathers moved away from the pristine Christian teachings. While they accepted the underlying social nature of mankind and believed that government and social organization were necessary in order to curb evil tenden
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Chapter X More and Utopian Social Thought
Chapter X More and Utopian Social Thought
Shortly after the close of Middle Ages with its modicum of social thinking, the idealism of Plato appeared in a new form, namely, in descriptive utopias. Of these, the chief and subtlest was the work of England’s sane, shrewd, tolerant student of society, Sir Thomas More (1478–1535). More’s Utopia deserves a degree of attention which is not customarily accorded it. More mediated Plato to modern social philosophy; he moved in the field of Platonic ideas and ideals. He was also indebted to Plutarc
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Chapter XI Individualistic Social Thought
Chapter XI Individualistic Social Thought
At the dawn of the Renaissance, tradition and dogmatism were ruling mankind. Here and there, however, individuals were perceiving the nature of the bondage. Occasionally a cry for individual freedom was uttered. Petrarch dared to say that the world was made for man’s enjoyment. The early Teutons crudely developed the idea of personal liberty. In France a movement arose which culminated in the doctrines of natural rights and “Back to Nature.” The stress upon individualism in England became so dee
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Chapter XII Malthus and Population Concepts
Chapter XII Malthus and Population Concepts
A unique and distinctive trend in social thought with important sociological implications developed in the closing years of the eighteenth century, namely, Malthusian thought regarding population. Malthusianism, however, was preceded by the ideas of William Godwin and Adam Smith. In 1775, Adam Smith had stated that “every species of animals naturally multiplies in proportion to the means of their subsistence, and no species can ever multiply beyond it.” XII-1 Scanty subsistence, however, destroy
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Chapter XIII Comte and Positive Social Thought
Chapter XIII Comte and Positive Social Thought
An organized foundation for the field of social thought was not laid until near the close of the first half of the nineteenth century. At that time Auguste Comte (1798–1857) gave at least an organized groundwork, if not a synthetic introduction to sociology. He was the first to stake out the territory of social thought, to show the relation of social thought to other fields of knowledge, and to separate social statics from social dynamics. He was the first important social philosopher, and his P
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Chapter XIV Marx and Socialistic Social Thought
Chapter XIV Marx and Socialistic Social Thought
Socialism proper had its beginning in the second and third decades of the nineteenth century. It developed primarily in continental Europe and in England. Although Plato’s communism and More’s utopianism were forerunners of socialism, the social unrest in Europe in the early years of the nineteenth century was the direct causal factor. Socialism also represented a reaction against the prevailing laissez faire thought regarding the evils of society and the suffering of the poorer classes. Sociali
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Chapter XV Buckle and Geographic Social Thought
Chapter XV Buckle and Geographic Social Thought
It has long been observed that climate, fertility of soil, rainfall, and similar factors have had a powerful influence upon human nature and upon the development of civilization. The chief founders of this line of thought were Buckle and Ratzel. In recent years Semple and Huntington have become well-known authorities. Many other thinkers have contributed to the present knowledge concerning the interactions between geographic factors and human development. One of the first writers to elaborate a
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Chapter XVI Spencer and Organic Social Thought
Chapter XVI Spencer and Organic Social Thought
In the second half of the last century social thought passed under biological influence. Society was discussed in terms of biological analogies, that is, it was compared in its structure and functions to organic life. Herbert Spencer was the leader among those writers who attempted to analyze society in terms of biological figures of speech. He also stressed the structural nature of society, and in his Principles of Sociology he went into great detail in giving a historical description of social
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Chapter XVII The Sociology of Lester F. Ward
Chapter XVII The Sociology of Lester F. Ward
The name of Lester F. Ward (1841–1913) stands forth between the old and new eras of social thought. Ward belongs to both the old and new. He adopted Comtean positivism and built in part upon Spencer’s evolutionary principles, but opposed Spencer’s laissez faire ideas and his evolutionary determinism, especially in regard to education. Perhaps his most notable work was the way in which he shocked a Spencerian-tinged world of social thought into a new method of thinking. Ward became the ardent adv
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Chapter XVIII Anthropologic Sociology
Chapter XVIII Anthropologic Sociology
Additional light upon the nature of sociological thought may be secured by consulting the anthropologists, and particularly, the students of social origins. The last mentioned group of scholars have been unusually successful in making valuable contributions to sociological thought, because they have used the psychological approach. For more than a century the anthropologists have been searching for materials and advancing theories concerning the origin of man, of conflict and co-operative tenden
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Chapter XIX Eugenic Sociology
Chapter XIX Eugenic Sociology
Eugenic social thought is the child of biological discoveries. Eugenics, the science of good breeding, which did not achieve scientific standing until the closing years of the last century, may be traced back in its incipient forms to Plato, who advocated that strength should mate only with strength, and that imperfect children should be eliminated from society. In its scientific origins eugenics dates from 1859, when Darwin’s Origin of Species was first published. Its beginning as a distinct fi
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Chapter XX Conflict Theories in Sociology
Chapter XX Conflict Theories in Sociology
The concept of social conflict has already been introduced to the reader. In the chapter on Individualistic Social Thought the prolonged struggle between individual rights and genuine social control was analyzed. Malthus described the conflict between population and the means of subsistence. Comte insisted that man is not naturally a social being. Hence this unsocial nature of mankind is a fruitful source of human conflict. Marx pictured the class struggle; and Darwin elaborated the doctrine of
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Chapter XXI Co-operation Theories in Sociology
Chapter XXI Co-operation Theories in Sociology
One of the first persons to work out a systematic interpretation of co-operation was Giovanni Vico (1668–1744), an Italian philosopher. XXI-1 Vico rejected the social contract idea because he believed that it was a false interpretation of the true principle of co-operation. The concept of a social contract embodied an artificial and metaphysical notion of social life. In his chief work, Principles of a New Science Concerning the Common Nature of Nations , Vico inaugurated a study of actual socia
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Chapter XXII Psycho-Sociologic Thought
Chapter XXII Psycho-Sociologic Thought
A large number of references have already been made to psycho-sociologic thought. In origin it may be traced to the primitive days of the race. The folkways reveal keen psycho-sociologic observations. Undoubtedly, many phases of the psychic nature of group activities were known to the leaders of ancient civilizations. Plato wrote on the importance of custom and custom imitation as a societal force. Aristotle understood the socio-psychic nature of man when he observed that property which is owned
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Chapter XXIII Psycho-Sociologic Thought (continued)
Chapter XXIII Psycho-Sociologic Thought (continued)
In 1902, Human Nature and the Social Order by Professor Charles H. Cooley was published. This book was at once accepted as an authority on the integral relationship of the individual self and the social process. It was followed in 1909 by Social Organization , and in 1918 by Social Process . The three books constitute a chronological development of a logical system of psycho-sociologic thought. The first volume treats of the self in its reactions to group life; the second explains the nature of
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Chapter XXIV The Trend of Applied Sociology
Chapter XXIV The Trend of Applied Sociology
In the preceding chapters the discussions have dealt primarily with the philosophic and psychologic phases of social thought. Another important phase of our field is applied sociology. The hosts of individuals who have been engaged in dealing directly with societal problems have learned valuable lessons from their personal experiences. Sometimes they have labored according to false theories; often they have scorned theories entirely. At the other extreme, the world has often accepted fine theori
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Chapter XXV The Rise of Educational Sociology
Chapter XXV The Rise of Educational Sociology
In recent decades educational leaders have been thinking in sociological terms. In its experimental phases educational sociology constitutes a phase of applied sociology. The principles of modern educational sociology have a thousand sources. Pestalozzi (1746–1827) may be considered a forerunner of current social theories of education. He was interested in humanity for humanity’s sake. Like St. Francis of Assisi, he lived with the poor in order that he might teach them to be thrifty and worthy c
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Chapter XXVI The Sociology of Modern Christianity
Chapter XXVI The Sociology of Modern Christianity
In a foregoing chapter the invaluable contribution of the Hebrews to social thought was presented; the attack of the prophets on social injustice was the outstanding feature. In another chapter the emphasis by Jesus upon love as a dynamic societal principle was described. In the centuries which followed the beginning of the Christian era, the Church apotheosized beliefs, creeds, dogmas. Near the close of the nineteenth century a renaissance of the social teachings of Jesus occurred. The trio of
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Chapter XXVII Methods of Sociological Investigation
Chapter XXVII Methods of Sociological Investigation
In any line of thought or endeavor a correct method of procedure is all-important. Inaccurate theories of procedure have wrecked nations, hindered civilization for centuries at a time, and flooded the world with negative and harmful ideas. It will be worth while, therefore, to consider the methods by which sociology has advanced. The ancient makers of social proverbs crystallized what they had individually observed many times to be true, or what they had heard repeated on many occasions as being
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Chapter XXVIII The Dissemination of Sociological Thought
Chapter XXVIII The Dissemination of Sociological Thought
Despite its youth, inchoateness, and naïveté, sociological thought is exerting a vital influence in the world. It is giving a new rating to all the established values of life, undermining some, strengthening others, and creating still others. The chief values in sociological thought are that it constitutes the center of all worth while thought; it gives balance and proportion to thinking in any field; it defies race prejudice and social intolerance; it smites selfish living; it rivets attention
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