以“匠人精神”,写“社会学的诗” 米尔斯的社会学遗产之重估

Craftsmanship and the Art of Sociological Poetry:A Revaluation of C.Wright Mills' Legacy

在米尔斯诞辰百年之际,本文试图重估其社会学遗产。本文指出,米尔斯作为"智识匠人"的志业,即是从内外两个面向揭示美国文明自19世纪末以来的转型及其危机。就内部面向而言,本文聚焦于米尔斯及其同时代的批评者关于美国社会的不同判断及其分歧的实质;就外部面向而言,本文则以米尔斯关于古巴革命的晚期著述为核心,考察米尔斯对古巴问题的讨论在何种意义上构成了对美国民主的外部批评。但是,对米尔斯的社会学遗产的重估,并不止步于此。米尔斯关于社会学写作的文体和"风格"的想象,即其关于"社会学的诗"的论述,构成了其学术遗产的另一个重要部分。本文指出,"社会学的诗"所倡导的审美与人格意蕴,实则是对社会学写作的人文传统的回归。最后,本文讨论了在中文学界的语境下,米尔斯的社会学研究所具有的启发意义。

On the occasion of the centennial of C. Wright Mills＇ birth, this paper is intended to offer a reassessment of the great sociologist＇s contribution in sociology. From the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, the United States had undergone fundamental changes, to which American intellectual tradition attempted to respond. The social and intellectual transformation of Mills＇ time was responsible for the unique historical and cultural context of his works. As an intellectual craftsman, Mills devoted his entire life to reveal the making of these fundamental shifts and the crisis ofAmerican democracy both internally and externally. From within, the paper looks into the disagreement between Mills and his contemporary critics such as Talcot Parsons and Daniel Bell over the structure and dynamics of American society, and tries to explain the essential difference between them. From outside, the paper examines Mills＇ writings on the Cuban Revolution as a critique to American democracy, and his interpretation of its causes and consequences. Aside from being a great sociologist, Mills is a powerful and poetic writer. Mills＇ attention to the aesthetic style of sociological writing, ＂the poetry of sociology＂ in his words, is another important sociological legacy of his, reflecting the humanistic tradition of social science. Finally, the paper explores what kind of inspiration Mills＇ sociological insights can offer to the Chinese world.