Philosophy of Science

Kant's transcendental idealism as a condition for the possibility of Durkheim's positivist social science

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Seyed Saeid Mousavi asl 1
Seyed Hamid Talebzade 2

1 Member of the Faculty of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Shiraz University

2 Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences University of Tehran

10.30465/ps.2024.48584.1720
Abstract
Emile Durkheim's positivist sociology can be understood within the framework of Kant's transcendental idealism, contrary to the common misconception in our scientific community that Durkheim's positivism is merely an extension of empiricism. Durkheim critiques empiricism and the narratives of British positivism, while simultaneously formulating the subject of sociology—social reality—under the concept of "collective representation." The notion of "representation" is rooted in the Copernican revolution and Kant's transcendental idealism. Influenced by the 19th-century French neo-Kantian philosopher Renouvier, Durkheim considers the concept of representation as foundational to sociological knowledge. Thus, Durkheim's positivism emphasizes not just the empirical approach, but also the experiential context within the Kantian framework. The objectivity of Durkheim's sociology is realized through the process of positioning in the Kantian sense.

Keywords

idealism
transcendence
Kant
positivism
Durkheim
representation
Philosophy of Science
Volume 14, Issue 1
June 2024
Pages 99-124

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