The Freedom of Sociology. The Basic Concept of Modernity and the Construction of Sociological Theory

• Applicant: Dr. Jurit Kärtner
• Subject Area: Sociological Theory
• Term: from 2015 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 284014945

For sociology as the science of the social sphere and of modern society the problem of freedom is central and basic. This thesis is put forward in my study. On the one hand, freedom is attributed in everyday life. On the other hand, the detection of new and growing spheres of freedom as well as the demand for "real" freedom are situated in the center of the semantics of modernity. Both phenomena - the everyday occurrence of freedom and its key position in modernity - deserve a sociological explanation. The submitted work aims at an analysis which fills a gap in current sociology. Instead of concentrating on a specific concept of freedom in the thicket of existing concepts and instead of emphasizing a specific, instrumental function of the attribution and semantics of freedom, I carried out an analysis of the general possibilities of constructing a sociology of freedom.The title of the work refers to this chosen perspective. The phrase "The Freedom of Sociology" hints at the fact, that there are conceptualizations of freedom specific to sociology. At the same time it makes clear, that there is not just one possibility which could be found in a quasi metatheoretical way. Different sociologies describe different liberties or give similar concepts of freedom a different theoretical relevance. The subtitle "The Basic Concept of Modernity and the Construction of Sociological Theory" shall point out the close relation between sociological theory building and the conceptualization of freedom. Neither can the first disregard the latter, nor is the latter independent from the first.To support these theses, I made four detailed and systematizing theory analyses. The hypothesis of the close relation between sociological theory building and the concept of freedom may not be surprising when considering the theories of Jürgen Habermas and Karl Popper. However, with regard to the theories of Niklas Luhmann and the late Michel Foucault, it is a first and interesting result.As general scientific gains of the study besides the specific and comparing theoretical discussions, systematizations, and enhancements, I want to stress three points: Firstly, the study delivers systematizing reconstructions of four sociologies of freedom, each of which belongs to an ideal type (see page 13, table 1.1). These analyses are based on the general proposition, that basically there are four possibilities to analyze freedom sociologically. Secondly, I point out basic problems of every theory of freedom which result from the definition of freedom by its antonyms necessity, contingency, commitment, and coercion (see page 21, table 1.2). Thirdly, the reconstruction and systematization of the general method of paradox analysis was very helpful to explore the basic problems of freedom theories and their solutions.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants