Methodological Individualism: Background, History and Meaning

by Lars Udehn

Throughout the history of social thought, there has been a constant battle over the true nature of society, and the best way to understand and explain it. This volume covers the development of methodological individualism, including the individualist theory of society from Greek antiquity to modern social science. It is a comprehensive and systematic treatment of methodological individualism in all its manifestations.

Genres: Sociology, Philosophy

468 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2001

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive account of the long-standing controversy in the philosophy of social science between methodological individualism vs. methodological collectivism. The central question is - can aggregate social phenomena be studied as definite objects on either own, or are they merely abstractions or theoretical constructions that can only be explained by or reduced to individual constituents of the whole? While the emphasis of the book is on arguments of the latter, it does provide some contrasting views of the former for a fuller appreciation of both. The book also does a good job of differentiating between various interpretations of "methodological individualism" in kind and in degree, and traces its historical development across various social sciences and thinkers (including Max Weber, Joseph Schumpeter, Ludwig Von Mises, F.A Hayek and Karl Popper). It was a very insightful read that helped to shed light on the epistemological foundations of many intellectual theories across disciplines.

[William Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent in-depth discussion of the various forms of methodological individualism, the idea that all explanations in the human sciences (sociology, economics, etc.) should be, at least in principle, explainable by reference to individual choices and actions, and that entities such as "society" or "class" either do no exist (strong methodological individualism, aka ontological individualism) or are an inadequate basis for explanation and understanding. I came at it wanting to know how solid the epistemological ground was for Ludwig Von Mises and the other Austrian economists, but Udehn identifies other thinkers who can be classed as methodological individualists. No great insights of his own, but Udehn has done a real service to those interested in the topic.