printSociology as a «Strong Science»:
Leon Petrazhitsky’s Unfinished Project
Timoshina E.V.
Dr. Sci. (Law), Professor, Department of Theory and History of State and Law, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia e.timoshina@spbu.ru
Timoshina E.V. Sociology as a «Strong Science»: Leon Petrazhitsky’s Unfinished Project. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2019. No 12. P. 115-125
Author reviews the Warsaw period works by Leon Petrażycki and his logical and methodological studies in order to reconstruct his project of sociology based on them. In his intention, sociology should have become the common foundation of the whole set of social sciences (theory of law and morality, political economy, etc.). However, according to Petrażycki, sociology does not yet exist as a «strict science», and he considers contemporary sociological concepts as exhibits of the «Scientific Pathology Museum». The author denies traditional identification between Petrażycki’s sociological project and the empirical tradition in sociology. Petrażycki constructs sociology as theoretical science and uses following methodological tools: 1) the principle of adequacy of the theory, 2) the theorem on n + 1 theories; 3) the doctrine of positions (atomic elements of judgments) as the basis for classifying sciences. In Petrażycki’s interpretation, the subject of sociology is evolutionary processes of behavior motivation. Sociology of Petrażycki, known from the summaries of his disciples, does not fully correspond to his own logical and methodological criteria: it is reduced to the theory of genesis and evolution of ethical (moral and legal) motivation. At the same time, he considers sociology of law to be a superfluous discipline. Probably, this incompleteness of the sociology project is a reason why Petrażycki has refused to publish the finished manuscript on sociology. Finally, author discusses how Pitirim Sorokin had used some logical and methodological ideas of Petrażycki to develop his own system of sociology.
Banakar R. (2009) Law Through Sociology’s Looking Glass: Conflict and Competition in Sociological Studies of Law. In: Denis А., Kalekin-Fishman D. (eds) The New ISA Handbook in Contemporary International Sociology: Conflict, Competition and Cooperation. Los Angeles: Sage: 58–73.
Clifford-Vaughan M., Scotford-Morton M. (1967) Legal Norms and Social Order: Petrażycki, Pareto, Durkheim. British Journal of Sociology. Vol. 18. No. 3: 269–277.
Denzin N.K. (1975) Interaction, Law, and Morality: The Contribution of Leon Petrażycki. In: Gorecki J. (ed.) Sociology and Jurisprudence of Leon Petrażycki. Urbana: Univ. of Illinois Press: 63–82.
Ehrlich E. (2011) The Foundation of Sociology of Law. Ed. by V.G. Grafskij, Yu.I. Grevcov. St. Petersburg: SPbGU. (In Russ.)
Gurvich G. (2004) The Idea of Social Law. In: Gurvich G. Philosophy and Sociology of Law. Selected Works. Transl. by Antonov M.V., Voronina L.V. St. Petersburg: SPbGU: 565–802. (In Russ.)
Husserl E. (1910–1911). Philosophie als strenge Wissenschaft. In: Logos. Internationale Zeitschrift für Philosophie der Kultur. Vol. 1. No. 3: 289–341. (In Germ.)
Johnson H.M. (1975) Petrażycki’s Sociology in the Perspective of Structural-Functional Theory. In: Gorecki J. (ed.) Sociology and Jurisprudence of Leon Petrażycki. Urbana: Univ. of Illinois Press: 39–62.
Kotarbiński T. (1975) The Concept of Adequate Theory. In: Gorecki J. (ed.) Sociology and Jurisprudence of Leon Petrażycki. Urbana: Univ. of Illinois Press: 17–21.
Lande J. (1975) The Sociology of Petrażycki. In: Gorecki J. (ed.) Sociology and Jurisprudence of Leon Petrażycki. Urbana: Univ. of Illinois Press: 23–37.
Petrażycki L. (2010a) Introduction to the Study of Law and Morality: Foundations of Emotional Psychology. In: Petrażycki L. Theory and Policy of Law. Selected Works. Ed. by E. Timoshina. St. Petersburg: Yurid. kn.: 380–560. (In Russ.).
Petrażycki L. (1939) Nowe podstawy logiki i klasyfikacja umiejętności. Z rękopisu wyd. J. Finkelkraut [J. Licki]. Warszawa: Nakł. T-wa im. L. Petrażyckiego. (In Pol.)
Petrażycki L. (1904) On the Motives of Human Behaviors and in Particular on Ethical Motives and Their Species. St. Petersburg: E.L. Porohovshchikova. (In Russ.)
Petrażycki L. (2010b) Philosophical Essays. On the So-called Critical Method and on the Metaphysics and Practical Philosophy of Kant. In: Petrażycki L. Theory and Policy of Law. Selected Works. Ed. by Timoshina E. St. Petersburg: Yurid. kn.: 601–774. (In Russ.)
Petrażycki L. (2000) Theory of Law and State in Connection with the Theory of Morality. St. Petersburg: Lan’. (In Russ.)
Petrażycki L. (1907) University and Science. Vol. 1. St. Petersburg: Yu.N. Ehrlikh. (In Russ.)
Petrażycki L. (2010c) New Foundations of Logic and a Classification of Sciences. In: Petrażycki L. Theory and Policy of Law. Selected Works. Ed. by Timoshina E. St. Petersburg: Yurid. kn.: 775–856. (In Russ.)
Podgórecki A. (1981) Unrecognized Father of Sociology of Law: Leon Petrażycki. Law and Society Review. Vol. 15. No. 1: 183–202.
Romanovsky N.V. (2012) Phronesis in the Theory of B. Flyvbjerg. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 1: 17–26. (In Russ.)
Sorokin P.A. (1993) The System of Sociology. Vol. 1. Mosсow: Nauka. (In Russ.)
Timoshina E.V. (2013) L. Petrażycki vs. E. Ehrlich: Two Projects of the Sociology of Law. Pravovedenie [Jurisprudence]. No. 5: 77–96. (In Russ.)
Treviño A.J. (2011) Introduction to the Transaction Edition. In: Petrazycki L. Law and Morality. Ed. by A.J. Treviño. New Brunswick: Routledge: IX–XXVIII.
Walicki A. (2012) Legal Philosophies of Russian Liberalism. Ed. by C.L. Chizhkov. Mosсow: Mysl’. (In Russ.)
Weber M. (1990) Fundamental Sociological Concepts. In: Weber M. Selected Works. Ed. by Yu.N. Davydov, P.P. Gaidenko. Mosсow: Progress: 602–643. (In Russ.)
Zborovskiy G.E. (2013) Theoretical Sociology: Quo Vadis? Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 9: 14–23. (In Russ.)