Post-Philosophical Sociology

Richard Kilminster is an Honorary Research Fellow in Sociology in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, at the University of Leeds. He has published widely on the sociology of knowledge and the work of Norbert Elias.

"Richard Kilminster is a man of semantic precision and clear thought. In this book, his thinking trades with the intersection of philosophy and sociology - a shift from ethics to global guidance through social science. He convincingly shows how sociology has taken over the historical task of humanistic, secular leadership. He develops this startling enquiry by building on the 'mighty thinkers' of the sociological tradition, masterfully demonstrating the breadth of his erudition and knowledge." - Adrian Jitschin, Norbert Elias Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands."For decades, sociological theorists have been in thrall to philosophers, and the results have often seemed irrelevant to the concerns of empirical sociological researchers. Richard Kilminster is well versed in the various schools of philosophy and makes out a compelling case for how sociology as the queen of the social sciences can be truly emancipated from their hegemony. And in so doing, he shows how theory and empirical research can be reunited." - Stephen Mennell, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University College Dublin.

• Introduction: The Greatness of Sociology Part One – Figurational-Process Sociology: Synthesis and Vocation Chapter 1 The Dawn of Detachment: Norbert Elias and Sociology’s Two Tracks Chapter 2 Karl Marx: New Perspectives Chapter 3 Norbert Elias’s Post-Philosophical Sociology: From "Critique"to Relative Detachment Chapter 4 How Has a Post-Philosophical Sociology Become Possible? Chapter 5 From Distance to Detachment: Knowledge and Self-knowledge in Elias’s Theory of Involvement and Detachment Part Two – Overcritique or Social Diagnosis? Chapter 6 Critique and Overcritique in Sociology Chapter 7 Overcritique and Ambiguity in Zygmunt Bauman’s Sociology: A Long-Term Perspective Chapter 8 Narcissism or Informalization? Christopher Lasch, Norbert Elias and Social Diagnosis Chapter 9 Informalization, Sociological Theory and Social Diagnosis Addendum: On The Process of Becoming a Sociologist