Methodological Individualism: Introduction and Founding Texts

Methodological individualism is a paradigm that focuses on understanding social phenomena through the actions and choices of individuals rather than through collective explanations. This book provides new English translations of foundational texts by Carl Menger, Joseph Schumpeter, Georg Simmel, and Max Weber, providing key insights into one of the essential methodological paradigms in the social sciences, correcting misconceptions, and advancing a deeper understanding of methodological individualism as a robust and valuable approach to explaining social phenomena.

Format: Hardback
Length: 104 pages
Publication date: 26 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Methodological individualism, a paradigm that emerged in the late 19th century and continues to be a subject of ongoing methodological debates in the social sciences, centers its attention on understanding social phenomena through the actions and choices of individuals rather than relying on collective explanations. This comprehensive book delves into the theoretical foundations of methodological individualism, as defined and developed by its founders and early proponents, within the context of the most lively methodological battles in the social sciences. It addresses fundamental epistemological issues such as the distinction between social and natural sciences, the rational bases for understanding social actions, the relationship between social wholes and their parts, and the connections between social concepts and the phenomenal world. By presenting new English translations of foundational texts by renowned scholars such as Carl Menger, Joseph Schumpeter, Georg Simmel, and Max Weber, this book offers valuable insights into one of the essential methodological paradigms in the social sciences. It aims to correct misconceptions and promote a deeper understanding of methodological individualism as a robust and valuable approach to explaining social phenomena. This book will appeal to scholars and students of sociology and sociological theory who are interested in exploring questions of social science methodology.

The Open Access version of this book, accessible at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032582801