The Natural Law Foundations of Modern Social Theory
A Quest for Universalism

Daniel Chernilo offers an original reconstruction of the history of universalism in modern social thought from Hobbes to Habermas.

Daniel Chernilo (Author)

9781107009806, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 31 January 2013

258 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.52 kg

'A major virtue of Chernilo's book is to recall to our attention what is at stake when we seek to construct meaningful social theory.' Mark Gould, Haverford College

After several decades in which it became a prime target for critique, universalism remains one of the most important issues in social and political thought. Daniel Chernilo reassesses social theory's universalistic orientation and explains its origins in natural law theory, using an impressive array of classical and contemporary sources that include, among others, Habermas, Leo Strauss, Weber, Marx, Hegel, Rousseau and Hobbes. The Natural Law Foundations of Modern Social Theory challenges previous accounts of the rise of social theory, recovers a strong idea of humanity, and revisits conventional arguments on sociology's relationship to modernity, the enlightenment and natural law. It reconnects social theory to its scientific and philosophical roots, its descriptive and normative tasks and its historical and systematic planes. Chernilo's defense of universalism for contemporary social theory will surely engage students of sociology, political theory and moral philosophy alike.

Introduction
Part I. On the Relationships between Social Theory and Natural Law: 1. Contemporary social theory and natural law: Jürgen Habermas
2. A natural law critique of modern social theory: Karl Löwith, Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin
Part II. Natural Law: 3. Natural law and the question of universalism
4. Modern natural law I: Hobbes and Rousseau on the state of nature and social life
5. Modern natural law II: Kant and Hegel on proceduralism and ethical life
Part III. Classical Social Theory: 6. Classical social theory I: Marx, Tönnies and Durkheim on alienation, community and society
7. Classical social theory II: Simmel and Weber on the universality of sociability and reasonableness
8. Social theory as the natural law of 'artificial' social relations
Epilogue.

Subject Areas: Political science & theory [JPA], Social theory [JHBA], History of ideas [JFCX], Social & political philosophy [HPS]