French philosopher Gabriel Tarde is known as a philosopher who describes sociology ontologically with an integrated approach and mostly by means of metaphysical interpretations. Opposing his coeval Durkheim＇s “socia...French philosopher Gabriel Tarde is known as a philosopher who describes sociology ontologically with an integrated approach and mostly by means of metaphysical interpretations. Opposing his coeval Durkheim＇s “social fact”, Tarde claims that this notion constitutes a methodological problem and the term “social” of Durkheim＇s crowds out “variability of relations”. According to him, determinants in social relations are more general and dynamic notions, such as： “change”, “contrast”, and “adaptation”. In this respect, not quite celebrated in his era, this philosopher is widely known as a metaphysician as well as a sociologist. His metaphysical ideas are clearly visible in various sections of his works, where he described with inspirations from natural phenomenon. Descriptions and analysis on natural phenomena constitute the greater part of his works. He points out similarities between the universe and the world of men in terms of functioning. Presenting these similarities, Tarde seems to reject any division between the men and the nature built up by “positive philosophy” and modern understanding. With his natural descriptions and concepts he inferred from these descriptions, such as“contradiction” and “harmony”, he almost tries to re-establish the bonds between the nature and the social life. Tarde＇s perception of holistic being and his ideas of “contradiction” and “harmony” in nature, are very close to the most basic axioms of the traditional Chinese thought. As a matter of fact, Tarde denotes these similarities in his novella called “Fragment d＇histoire future （Underground Man）”. It is also an example to display an “East-West encounter” on a fictional plane.展开更多
文摘French philosopher Gabriel Tarde is known as a philosopher who describes sociology ontologically with an integrated approach and mostly by means of metaphysical interpretations. Opposing his coeval Durkheim＇s “social fact”, Tarde claims that this notion constitutes a methodological problem and the term “social” of Durkheim＇s crowds out “variability of relations”. According to him, determinants in social relations are more general and dynamic notions, such as： “change”, “contrast”, and “adaptation”. In this respect, not quite celebrated in his era, this philosopher is widely known as a metaphysician as well as a sociologist. His metaphysical ideas are clearly visible in various sections of his works, where he described with inspirations from natural phenomenon. Descriptions and analysis on natural phenomena constitute the greater part of his works. He points out similarities between the universe and the world of men in terms of functioning. Presenting these similarities, Tarde seems to reject any division between the men and the nature built up by “positive philosophy” and modern understanding. With his natural descriptions and concepts he inferred from these descriptions, such as“contradiction” and “harmony”, he almost tries to re-establish the bonds between the nature and the social life. Tarde＇s perception of holistic being and his ideas of “contradiction” and “harmony” in nature, are very close to the most basic axioms of the traditional Chinese thought. As a matter of fact, Tarde denotes these similarities in his novella called “Fragment d＇histoire future （Underground Man）”. It is also an example to display an “East-West encounter” on a fictional plane.
