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

Description: What Is a Person? by Christian Smith What is a person? This fundamental question is a perennial concern of philosophers and theologians. This book argues that it also lies at the center of the social scientists quest to interpret and explain social life. It presents a model for social theory that does justice to the best of our humanistic visions of people, life, and society. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description 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 scientists 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. Author Biography Christian Smith is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology; director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society; and director of the Center for Social Research at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers and Moral, Believing Animals: Human Personhood and Culture. Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. Initial Arguments Chapter 1. The Emergence of Personhood Chapter 2. Key Theoretical Resources Part II. Critical Engagements Chapter 3. The Reality of Social Construction Excursus: Getting to Truth Chapter 4. Network Structuralisms Missing Persons Chapter 5. Persons and Mechanisms (Not) in Variables Sociology Part III. Constructive Development Chapter 6. The Personal Sources of Social Structures Chapter 7. The Good Chapter 8. Human Dignity Postscript Index Review "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)" Details ISBN0226765946 Author Christian Smith Short Title WHAT IS A PERSON Language English ISBN-10 0226765946 ISBN-13 9780226765945 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2011 Imprint University of Chicago Press Subtitle Rethinking Humanity, Social Life, and the Moral Good from the Person Up Place of Publication Chicago, IL Country of Publication United States Illustrations 1 table Birth 1960 Residence Chapel Hill, NC, US DEWEY 128 UK Release Date 2011-11-30 Publication Date 2011-11-30 NZ Release Date 2011-11-30 US Release Date 2011-11-30 Pages 528 Publisher The University of Chicago Press Audience Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly AU Release Date 2011-11-29 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:132570377;

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