The forgotten object of Sociology

Abstract

Sociology seems to have forgotten the objet for which it was initially created as a science. From the early ethnocentric stream of thought in the founding fathers, human concerns (needs; interests and meanings) wore at the heart of sociological reflection. Later on, under the influence of formalists like Simmel, and the accelerated development of positive natural sciences with their small and numerous specialities, the initial objet of Sociology was increasingly substituted by some secondary aspects of society f.i. «communications » (until reaching Luhmann’s «Society without men»), which are only means used by people for achieving their goals. Thus, Sociology seems to forget progressively to study the concept of goal-setting (the systems of values persued/achieved) for which society (or any type of social organization) was created, since this is the purpose justifying the existence of society. In this paper, which emphasises the spurious qualitative-quantitative dilemma as a perversion of sociological language, I try to remain that society is not composed solely of abstract forms, but mainly of human individuals who live together because, in this way, they satisfy their mutual needs better. Sociology should or could then be the science which offers its cumulated knowledge on social phenomenon to cater for the satisfaction of these needs.