A Proposal for Intellectural Autonomy in Sociology

We would like to propose a way of bringing sociology and philosophy closer together, and thus perhaps solving the ethical dilemma of sociology. A serious and critical study of the predominant philosophical »views of the world« (Weltanschauungen) would enable sociologists to »experiment« with them, and rationally chose the one that promises best to serve as a basis for a proper understanding of social reality. Or, to be more precise, sociologists would obtain a vision of man, a concept of comprehension and of the relationship between comprehension and action, which is more a result of a rational choice among alternatives, than an unconditional and blind devotion to the vision predominant in the West, particularly in North American. We are convinced it is not incomprehensible that such a study would make many impartial sociologists question deeply the philosophical basis of a major part of contemporary sociology