Saint Simon

Sociological Theory
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
UMD

Saint-Simon, early French Sociologist
COUNT CLAUDE HENRI de ROUVROY de SAINT-SIMON (1760-1825)


A. LIFE AND TIMES
  1. ENTERED ARMY AT 17, FOUGHT WITH FRENCH ARMY IN AMERICAN REVOLUTION - SERVED WITH DISTINCTION
  2. WAS PRESENT AT THE SURRENDER OF YORKTOWN
  3. WENT TO MEXICO, DID SOME ADVISING, TRIED TO CONVINCE THEM TO BUILD A CANAL TO CONNECT ATLANTIC WITH PACIFIC
  4. MINIMAL PARTICIPATION IN FRENCH REVOLUTION (1789-99)
  5. MADE HIS FORTUNE ON SPECULATION IN CONFISCATED CHURCH ESTATES
  6. GAVE UP ARISTOCRATIC TITLE; PRESIDED OVER FIRST MEETING OF LOCAL COMMUNE; GIVEN TWO AWARDS OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP IN 1793;
  7. IMPRISONED FOR A WHILE
    CHARLEMAGNE APPEARED TO HIM IN A DREAM - TOLD HIM TO BECOME GREAT PHILOSOPHER

B. WORKS

  1. INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENTIFIC WORK OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY (1807)
  2. THE REORGANIZATION OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY (1814)
  3. THE INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM (1821-22)
  4. POLITICAL CATECHISM FOR INDUSTRIALISTS (1822)
  5. NEW CHRISTIANITY (1825)
  6. HIS MAJOR IDEAS ESTABLISHED PRIOR TO 1814,
    • 1. POSITIVISM
    • 2. INDUSTRIALISM
    • 3. INTERNATIONALISM
    • 4. NEW RELIGION

C. HIS IDEAS
  1. WHAT KEPT FEUDALISM STABLE?
    RELIGION
  2. FORCES WITHIN FEUDALISM WERE TO DESTROY IT, WHAT WERE THOSE FORCES
    • 1. SCIENCE
    • 2. EMERGENCE OF INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BOURGEOISIE
    • 3. PROTESTANT REVOLUTION
    • 4. NEGATIVE/CRITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF ENLIGHTENMENT
      A. PHILOSOPHES STRESSED EQUALITY AND NATURAL RIGHTS, NO GUIDANCE FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF SOCIETY
  3. SAINT SIMON SAW IT AS HIS DUTY TO CREATE NEW & ORGANIC SOCIAL ORDER
D. HUMAN KNOWLEDGE PASSED THROUGH 3 STAGES

  1. THEOLOGICAL
    • 1. POLYTHEISM
    • 2. MONOTHEISM
  2. METAPHYSICAL
    • COSMOLOGY (UNIVERSE AS ORDERLY SYSTEM)
    • ONTOLOGY (NATURE OF BEING)
  3. SCIENTIFIC
"SOCIAL PHYSIOLOGY" STUDY OF HUMAN CONDUCT MUST BE SCIENTIFIC WILL REPLACE RELIGION AS SOCIAL GLUE
E. MAIN IDEAS
  • NEW ELITE TO CONTROL SOCIETY WILL BE SCIENTISTS AND INDUSTRIALISTS,
  • USE OF POSITIVISM - APPLICATION OF SCIENCE TO ALL PHENOMENA
  • USE OF RITUALS AND CULTS ETC. GET TRUTHS TO GENERAL PUBLIC

F. CLASSES

 A. NEW SOCIETY
  • 1. SCIENTISTS
  • 2. INDUSTRIALISTS
  • 3. REST OF SOCIETY
NEED NEW INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
THIS WILL HOLD SOCIETY TOGETHER, STABILITY
HE LUMPED WORKERS AND INDUSTRIALISTS TOGETHER
FROM 1815 TO 1821 HIS VIEWS BECOME MUCH MORE LAISSEZ FAIRE


 IN SUM
  1. KNOWLEDGE HOLDS SOCIETY TOGETHER
  2. SOCIAL SYSTEM IS APPLICATION OF IDEAS
  3. SCIENCE WAS CAUSE OF END OF FEUDALISM
  4. KNOWLEDGE IS PROGRESS AND SOCIAL GLUE
  5. SCIENCE SHOULD DISCOVER LAWS OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, EVOLUTION & PROGRESS
    • A. INEVITABLE
    • B. ABSOLUTE LAWS
    • C. E.G. LAW OF THREE STAGES

MAIN POINTS
  1. IDEAS PRECEDE AND LEAD TO ACTION
  2. CULTURE IS THE BASIC CAUSE OF HUMAN AFFAIRS
  3. POSITIVISTIC METHOD: SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATION APPLIED TO EXPERIENCE
  4. ONE SCIENCE TO STUDY SOCIAL AND NATURAL WORLD
  5. HISTORICAL METHOD
  6. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION IS PRIME MOVER OF HUMAN AFFAIRS
  7. MUTUAL INTEREST AS OPPOSED TO SELF INTEREST
  8. CAN'T JUDGE SOCIAL LIFE BY LOOKING AT NATION-STATE, IT IS NOT A NATURAL HUMAN ORGANIZATION
  9. IMPORTANT TO HAVE THEORETICAL OUT LOOK FOR SHAPING THOUGHT
  10. SOCIOLOGY IS THE GUARDIANSHIP OF HUMAN REALITY
  11. OWN PERSPECTIVE SHAPED BY TIME YOU LIVE IN


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Copyright: © 2001, John Hamlin
Last Modified: Friday, 30-Sep-2011 09:49:24 CDT
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