The British Journal of Sociology
Volume 51 No. 3 September 2000
pages 553-80
Abstract
The debate between the advocates of sociological individualism and those of holism has been pervasive in development of social theory. This debate is often situated in the false problems of sociology, since it is seen as a particular form of the perennial and irresolvable dilemma between social nominalism and realism, as well as between freedom and determinism. Nevertheless, the debate is far from over within contemporary sociology and other social science, as indicated by the resurgence of individualism in rational action theory and its repudiation by holistic social theories. The aim of this paper is to identify some modern variations on this theme as well as to discern certain common tendencies of two seemingly opposite theoretical perspectives, viz. the convergence upon a normative solution to the problem of social order. This convergence is therefore denoted normative convergence between sociological individualism and holistic sociology.
Keywords: Individualism, holism, norms, social action
Milan Z. Zafirovsky
Dept. of Behavioural Sciences
Athens State University