The main focus of this work is the relation between sociology and mathematics, especially the relation between sociological theories of conflict and cooperation and the game theory. In the work four general theories of conflict (and coopera- tion) are introduced - theory by John Rex, Kenneth Boulding, Louis Kriesberg and František Znebejánek. Each is accompanied by a critical review. Next, the formal game theory is introduced. The main effort is to shed new light on game theoretic concepts known in sociology and introduce some of the less known ones. The text is focused on the main ideas and explanation without mathematical for- malism. Historical relation between sociology and game theory is discussed. Also some topics that are not well handled in game theory from sociological point of view are further elaborated - assumption of rationality, definition of utility and preference, assumption of general knowledge etc. There are also topics from mathematics and informatics slowly penetrating sociology - computer simulation, prediction, that we also discuss. The possible modifications and merit of game theory for sociology is also included. Inspired by the previous theories, at the end of this work a new theoretic model of conflict and cooperation is introduced, which tries to overcome some imperfections of the...

The appeal of moral panic studies, a once very popular sociological subfield, dropped precipitously around the turn of the century due in large part to debates about disproportionality, the notion a panicked group's concern about a perceived threat exceeds that warranted by its objective harmfulness. Classic theorists claim disproportionality is a panic's essential criterion and that it can be demonstrated by comparing a group's concerned reaction to the available facts. Critics argue it is a value-laden, ideologically tainted construct and often claim it cannot be demonstrated because there are no authoritative facts. These debates were and still are fraught with confusion. Perplexingly, both sides assume a shared definition despite clearly assessing the proportionality of different aspects of the relevant reaction. A typology differentiating the potential types of disproportionality either does not exist in the moral panic literature or remains shrouded in obscurity. In this paper, I review the classic theories, their critiques, and a new postmodern moral panic theory. By juxtaposing the different foci of the orthodox and contemporary theories, I derive a much-needed disproportionality typology. I also develop a new framework through which to assess moral panics predicated on this typology. My hope is these developments will stimulate a more sophisticated debate about disproportionality and encourage theorists to refine rather than simply reject classic approaches to the disproportionality problem.

This study delineates the basic concepts and analytical techniques of contemporary French structuralists, namely Levi-Strauss, Lacan, Barthes, Althusser, and Foucault, and critically examines the contribution of their formulations to sociological theory and the implication of such formulations on the methodological orientation in sociology.

Este trabalho é uma primeira etapa da elaboração de um conjunto conceitual que tem por objetivo fornecer uma explicação sociológica para o fenômeno do conhecimento. O ponto de partida é a reconstrução de uma possível explicação presente na sociologia de Max Weber para o fenômeno em questão. Parto da suposição que os trabalhos de Weber indiretamente explicariam-no, dado que a teoria da ação e da racionalização suscitariam inevitáveis problemas epistemológicos. Não obstante, essas duas teorias endereçariam respostas parciais aos dois problemas básicos sobre o conhecimento, a saber, o que é o conhecimento? e como o conhecimento é desenvolvido? Para respondê-las integralmente, seria necessário encontrar um fenômeno que conjugasse a teoria da ação social com a teoria da racionalização. Minha principal hipótese é que este seria o no processo de intelectualização. Com isso, a parte central deste trabalho refere- se à reconstrução do processo de intelectualização e sua solução prévia para o conhecimento. Ao esgotar todas as possibilidades de explicação, utilizo os trabalhos de Hermann Lotze e Gottlob Frege como auxiliares na compreensão e resolução de noções subjacentes ao problema do conhecimento, como as noções de sentido, significado, verdade, interpretação e intersubjetividade. Ao final, chego a uma conclusão que tenta acoplar uma teoria da linguagem sobre a explicação do conhecimento produzida pela reconstrução dos trabalhos de Weber / This study is a first stage of drafting a conceptual framework that aims to provide a sociological explanation for the phenomenon of knowledge. The starting point is the reconstruction of a possible explanation for knowledge grounded on Max Weber\'s Sociology. As a starting point, we assume that Weber\'s work indirectly explains the phenomenon of knowledge, since the theory of action and rationalization would raise inevitable epistemological problems. Nevertheless, these two theories would only address partial answers to two basic problems about knowledge, namely, what is knowledge? and how knowledge is developed? In order to answer completely such questions it would require a phenomenon that combines the theory of social action with the theory of rationalization. Our main hypothesis is that the process of intellectualization is the phenomenon would best combine both theories. Thus, the central part of this study refers to the reconstruction of the process of intellectualization and its prior solution to the knowledge. When all possibilities were exhausted, we used some works of Hermann Lotze and Gottlob Frege in order to assist the comprehension and solve some knowledge\'s underlying notions, such as meaning, sense, truth, interpretation, and intersubjectivity. In the conclusion, we attempt to attach a theory of language on the explanation of knowledge produced by the reconstruction of Weber\'s writings

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of the social field as described by Pierre Bourdieu as well as to explore the possibility of creating a more focused and tailored set of conditions in the form of a model to repurpose the field theory to more clearly be applicable to bilateral negotiations. The methodological approach is conceptual analysis based on the epistemology of critical realism. The supporting theories for the approach are a combination of systemic, chaos and complexity theory while the fundaments for the implementation of the methodological approach are the four main concepts in Bourdieu’s theory of the social field:  the field, habitus, illusio and symbolic capital. One of the main points of repurposing this specific dynamic is to explicitly allow for deliberate human agency within the field. Analytical data consists purely of the secondary type. This essay is not empirically based but rather theoretical and abstract. The paper is founded on the basic principles of macrosociology and presumes social agency where appropriate. This paper focuses on creating a tentative framework model based on repurposed concepts derived from Bourdieu. The results are arguably interesting but are mostly limited to affecting further development of this tentative model and prefacing application of it through attempting to implement it in an analytical manner on empirical data.

Este trabalho é uma primeira etapa da elaboração de um conjunto conceitual que tem por objetivo fornecer uma explicação sociológica para o fenômeno do conhecimento. O ponto de partida é a reconstrução de uma possível explicação presente na sociologia de Max Weber para o fenômeno em questão. Parto da suposição que os trabalhos de Weber indiretamente explicariam-no, dado que a teoria da ação e da racionalização suscitariam inevitáveis problemas epistemológicos. Não obstante, essas duas teorias endereçariam respostas parciais aos dois problemas básicos sobre o conhecimento, a saber, o que é o conhecimento? e como o conhecimento é desenvolvido? Para respondê-las integralmente, seria necessário encontrar um fenômeno que conjugasse a teoria da ação social com a teoria da racionalização. Minha principal hipótese é que este seria o no processo de intelectualização. Com isso, a parte central deste trabalho refere- se à reconstrução do processo de intelectualização e sua solução prévia para o conhecimento. Ao esgotar todas as possibilidades de explicação, utilizo os trabalhos de Hermann Lotze e Gottlob Frege como auxiliares na compreensão e resolução de noções subjacentes ao problema do conhecimento, como as noções de sentido, significado, verdade, interpretação e intersubjetividade. Ao final, chego a uma conclusão que tenta acoplar uma teoria da linguagem sobre a explicação do conhecimento produzida pela reconstrução dos trabalhos de Weber / This study is a first stage of drafting a conceptual framework that aims to provide a sociological explanation for the phenomenon of knowledge. The starting point is the reconstruction of a possible explanation for knowledge grounded on Max Weber\'s Sociology. As a starting point, we assume that Weber\'s work indirectly explains the phenomenon of knowledge, since the theory of action and rationalization would raise inevitable epistemological problems. Nevertheless, these two theories would only address partial answers to two basic problems about knowledge, namely, what is knowledge? and how knowledge is developed? In order to answer completely such questions it would require a phenomenon that combines the theory of social action with the theory of rationalization. Our main hypothesis is that the process of intellectualization is the phenomenon would best combine both theories. Thus, the central part of this study refers to the reconstruction of the process of intellectualization and its prior solution to the knowledge. When all possibilities were exhausted, we used some works of Hermann Lotze and Gottlob Frege in order to assist the comprehension and solve some knowledge\'s underlying notions, such as meaning, sense, truth, interpretation, and intersubjectivity. In the conclusion, we attempt to attach a theory of language on the explanation of knowledge produced by the reconstruction of Weber\'s writings

Bruno Latour, a former philosopher who turned to anthropology and sociology, whose work is so much known as controversial, has been developing a radical restatement of contemporary social sciences,with broad consequences for them, and in particular for sociology. Stating that the social does not exist, Latour claims the inclusion as «actants», as well as humans, of all kind of objects. According to Latour, in that way it would not be necessary to appeal to transcendent instances of experience, like huge historical processes, or entities in which a specific agent does not appear. After discovering Gabriel Tarde’s scientific production, who is considered by him as an antecessor of his ideas, Latour has lay down both a critique to the homo economicus, as well as to Marx’s vision on capitalism. This article intends to evaluate those critiques, making each author question the other. / Bruno Latour, filósofo devenido en antropólogo y sociólogo, cuya obra es tan conocida como controversial, viene haciendo un replanteamiento radical de las ciencias sociales, con amplias implicancias para ellas, y muy en particular para la sociología. Sosteniendo que lo social no existe, Latour demanda considerar como «actantes», al igual que los humanos, a todo tipo de objetos. Según él así se evitaría recurrir a toda instancia trascendente a la experiencia, como grandes procesos históricos, o entes donde no aparece un agente específico. Tras su encuentro con la obra de Gabriel Tarde, a quien considera como antecesor de sus propias ideas, ha planteado una crítica tanto al homo economicus como a la visión de Marx sobre el capitalismo. Este trabajo hace un balance de dichas críticas haciendo que cada autor interrogue al otro.

This thesis focuses on methodological possibilities of language as a basis for history of sociology. Current professional history of sociology takes predominantly the form of institutional studies characterized by an attention to social context of knowledge production. Language orientation provides an unutilized opportunity for intellectual history - a supposedly stale alternative of institutional tradition. Development of language-based history creates a methodological position close to approaches common in history of natural sciences. Critical analysis of metaphor studies in sociology serves as an example of risks and challenges of language focus which assists us with articulation of our own methodological position. Following studies of Ladislav Kvasz, historian of natural sciences, the thesis offers methodological apparatus adapted to sociology. Key feature of the presented tool is a capability to distinguish between three levels of language of sociological theory: data, models and theory. These levels differ in functions which they ascribe to corresponding language elements and rising language powers (to constitute new objects and to integrate the ones positioned below). Application of our method is illustrated by two examples. Cursory excursion into history of mathematics in sociology...

O objetivo desse trabalho é rastrear a dimensão de influências específicas que moldaram Jürgen Habermas na construção da Teoria do Agir Comunicativo. Em sua obra maior, a pretensão habermasiana foi harmonizar um vasto leque de autores e teorias que uma vez trabalhados em suas especificidades convergissem para a existência de um projeto emancipador possibilitado por uma racionalidade de teor comunicativo. Com esse propósito, a atenção está voltada para o segundo volume dessa obra, em especial para o papel de Talcott Parsons e sua teoria de sistemas, a sociologia de Émile Durkheim que faculta a interação por meio da linguagem e seu entrelaçamento com Habermas por mais de uma via, as discussões metodológicas com Popper e a disputa com o positivismo, bem como a presença da teoria crítica e seus personagens diversos. / The aim of this work is to track the size of specific influences that shaped Jürgen Habermas in the construction of the Theory of Communicative Action. In his major work, the habermasion intention was to harmonize a wide range of authors and theories that treated in their particularity would be able to converge to an emancipatory project made possible by a rationality of communicative content. For this purpose, the attention is focused on the second volume of this work, especially on the role of Talcott Parsons and his systems theory, on the sociology of Émile Durkheim that provides interaction through language and its relationship with Habermas through several ways, on the methodological discussions with Popper and the dispute with positivism, and on the presence of critical theory and its many characters.

Esta dissertação pretende compreender a analítica proposta pelo filósofo francês Michel Foucault no curso realizado no Collège de France intitulado Nascimento da Biopolítica (1978-79) a respeito da arte de governar neoliberal. Buscamos apreender a relação entre a análise do neoliberalismo e outros momentos e conceitos da produção bibliográfica foucaultiana, tais como as noções de biopolítica, de governamentalidade e de poder disciplinar. Para tal, realizamos uma incursão em diversas obras do filósofo, como As palavras e as coisas (1966), Vigiar e Punir (1975), História da Sexualidade I A vontade de saber (1976), além dos cursos Em defesa da sociedade (1975-1976) e Segurança, Território, População (1977-78). Por fim, o texto também se propõe a realizar contribuições ao estudo do neoliberalismo como um todo, explicitando as veredas abertas pela teoria de Foucault e apontando para além de um exercício de exegese teórica da experiência filosófica foucaultiana. / This dissertation aims to comprehend the analytics carried out by the French philosopher Michel Foucault in his lectures at the Collège de France entitled The Birth of Biopolitics (1978-79) regarding the neoliberal art of government. We seek to apprehend the relation between the analyses of Neoliberalism and other moments and concepts of the foucauldian bibliographical production, such as the notions of biopolitics, governmentality and disciplinary power. In order to accomplish such task, we approach several works written by Foucault, such as The order of things (1966), Discipline and punish (1975), The History of sexuality volume 1 The will to knowledge (1976), as well as the lectures Society must be defended (1975-76) and Security, Territory, Population (1977-78). To conclude, this text also contributes to the study of Neoliberalism as a whole, emphasizing the paths opened by Foucaults theory and pointing beyond an exercise of theoretical exegesis of the foucauldian philosophical experience.