The Sociology of Karl Mannheim’s Knowledge and the Methodological Foundations of the History of Socio-Political Ideas
The methodological principles of K. Mannheim’s sociology of knowledge still have fundamental significance for the study of the history of ideas (and the history of political thought). This significance is determined, firstly, by the critical attitude inherited by Mannheim from the Marxist tradition....
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Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)
2024-12-01
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| Series: | RUDN Journal of Political Science |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/42656/24439 |
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| author | Alexander A. Chanyshev Vasilisa A. Kuznetsova |
| author_facet | Alexander A. Chanyshev Vasilisa A. Kuznetsova |
| author_sort | Alexander A. Chanyshev |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The methodological principles of K. Mannheim’s sociology of knowledge still have fundamental significance for the study of the history of ideas (and the history of political thought). This significance is determined, firstly, by the critical attitude inherited by Mannheim from the Marxist tradition. In this case, however, criticism is not aimed at simplistically linear “exposure” of the social orientation of ideas, where the content of the latter is explained as a simple function of the author’s predilections and group interests that determine these predilections - and the desired source of the ideological content of the concept, therefore, can be found in the sphere of the “natural” action of common social causes. The critical analysis is focused on understanding the “existential” rootedness of ideas. The analysis suggests that theory is not only and not so many ideas per se, but also the author’s lived attitude to the specific historical conditions of their existence. It is the identification of this kind of rootedness that prevent the content reduction of the author’s position to purely subjective, psychological moments of the experience. The authors suggests that the conceptualization of the rootedness can be carried out on the basis of the “hermeneutic circle” and “anticipation” in the Heidegger-Gadamer “ontological” interpretation of them, as well as through the application of the “life-world” in the Schutz’ interpretation. Ultimately, the study was designed to determine that it is due the heuristic possibilities of such interpretations that the actual socio-cultural meaning of the concept, not necessarily realized by the creator himself, saturated with normative, evaluative, subjective content, but tied to an objective tradition, can be identified and understood. In addition, the authors consider as a promising research task the possibility of strengthening the methodological completeness of the sociology of knowledge by the historical and conceptual approach of R. Koselleck, which would ensure a more thorough alignment of the socio-normative tradition with the problems of a specific theory. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-544fbbfcb2dd4b35bda9d23792b29678 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2313-1438 2313-1446 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | RUDN Journal of Political Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-544fbbfcb2dd4b35bda9d23792b296782025-01-31T15:05:46ZengPeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)RUDN Journal of Political Science2313-14382313-14462024-12-0126468569910.22363/2313-1438-2024-26-4-685-69921141The Sociology of Karl Mannheim’s Knowledge and the Methodological Foundations of the History of Socio-Political IdeasAlexander A. Chanyshev0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9117-6279Vasilisa A. Kuznetsova1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0557-1908MGIMO UniversityMGIMO UniversityThe methodological principles of K. Mannheim’s sociology of knowledge still have fundamental significance for the study of the history of ideas (and the history of political thought). This significance is determined, firstly, by the critical attitude inherited by Mannheim from the Marxist tradition. In this case, however, criticism is not aimed at simplistically linear “exposure” of the social orientation of ideas, where the content of the latter is explained as a simple function of the author’s predilections and group interests that determine these predilections - and the desired source of the ideological content of the concept, therefore, can be found in the sphere of the “natural” action of common social causes. The critical analysis is focused on understanding the “existential” rootedness of ideas. The analysis suggests that theory is not only and not so many ideas per se, but also the author’s lived attitude to the specific historical conditions of their existence. It is the identification of this kind of rootedness that prevent the content reduction of the author’s position to purely subjective, psychological moments of the experience. The authors suggests that the conceptualization of the rootedness can be carried out on the basis of the “hermeneutic circle” and “anticipation” in the Heidegger-Gadamer “ontological” interpretation of them, as well as through the application of the “life-world” in the Schutz’ interpretation. Ultimately, the study was designed to determine that it is due the heuristic possibilities of such interpretations that the actual socio-cultural meaning of the concept, not necessarily realized by the creator himself, saturated with normative, evaluative, subjective content, but tied to an objective tradition, can be identified and understood. In addition, the authors consider as a promising research task the possibility of strengthening the methodological completeness of the sociology of knowledge by the historical and conceptual approach of R. Koselleck, which would ensure a more thorough alignment of the socio-normative tradition with the problems of a specific theory.https://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/42656/24439methodology of the humanitiesintellectual historycritical analysis of socio-political theoriesexplanationunderstandinghermeneuticshermeneutical circleanticipationlife-worldhistorical and conceptual approach |
| spellingShingle | Alexander A. Chanyshev Vasilisa A. Kuznetsova The Sociology of Karl Mannheim’s Knowledge and the Methodological Foundations of the History of Socio-Political Ideas RUDN Journal of Political Science methodology of the humanities intellectual history critical analysis of socio-political theories explanation understanding hermeneutics hermeneutical circle anticipation life-world historical and conceptual approach |
| title | The Sociology of Karl Mannheim’s Knowledge and the Methodological Foundations of the History of Socio-Political Ideas |
| title_full | The Sociology of Karl Mannheim’s Knowledge and the Methodological Foundations of the History of Socio-Political Ideas |
| title_fullStr | The Sociology of Karl Mannheim’s Knowledge and the Methodological Foundations of the History of Socio-Political Ideas |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Sociology of Karl Mannheim’s Knowledge and the Methodological Foundations of the History of Socio-Political Ideas |
| title_short | The Sociology of Karl Mannheim’s Knowledge and the Methodological Foundations of the History of Socio-Political Ideas |
| title_sort | sociology of karl mannheim s knowledge and the methodological foundations of the history of socio political ideas |
| topic | methodology of the humanities intellectual history critical analysis of socio-political theories explanation understanding hermeneutics hermeneutical circle anticipation life-world historical and conceptual approach |
| url | https://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/42656/24439 |
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