What Is a Person?: Rethinking Humanity, Social Life, and the Moral Good from the Person Up

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Christian Smith

What Is a Person?

Rethinking Humanity, Social Life, and the Moral Good from the Person Up

Christian Smith

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Paperback

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English

Chicago University Press
30 November 2011

Philosophy; Ethics & moral philosophy; Social & political philosophy; Sociology; Social theory

What is a person? This fundamental question is a perennial concern of philosophers and theologians. But, Christian Smith here argues, it also lies at the center of the social scientist’s quest to interpret and explain social life. In this ambitious book, Smith presents a new model for social theory that does justice to the best of our humanistic visions of people, life, and society.

Finding much current thinking on personhood to be confusing or misleading, Smith finds inspiration in critical realism and personalism. Drawing on these ideas, he constructs a theory of personhood that forges a middle path between the extremes of positivist science and relativism. Smith then builds on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, Anthony Giddens, and William Sewell to demonstrate the importance of personhood to our understanding of social structures. From there he broadens his scope to consider how we can know what is good in personal and social life and what sociology can tell us about human rights and dignity.

Innovative, critical, and constructive, What Is a Person? offers an inspiring vision of a social science committed to pursuing causal explanations, interpretive understanding, and general knowledge in the service of truth and the moral good.

By: Christian Smith
Imprint: Chicago University Press
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions: Height: 23mm, Width: 17mm, Spine: 3mm
Weight: 879g
ISBN: 9780226765945
ISBN 10: 0226765946
Publication Date: 30 November 2011
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for What Is a Person?: Rethinking Humanity, Social Life, and the Moral Good from the Person Up

""Smith combines a meticulous command of sociological theory, philosophical analysis, and moral passion to argue against reductionist theories of human personhood and agency.... This book will become required reading."" (Choice)""