Debating Humanity

Critiquing – and Rescuing – ‘Character’

“…First , even though their writing is often clearly critical of many things, for example, sexism and racism, and in favour or others, such as inclusiveness and democracy, sociologists are generally wary of talk of virtues and vices, perhaps regarding it as a form of repressive moralizing, with suspicions extending to ‘flourishing’, ‘well-being’, morality and indeed normativity itself, as a restrictive ‘normalizing’ of behaviour. There is also a common aversion to any kind of naturalism, humanism or universalism that might imply that some things are good or bad for us simply as human beings, notwithstanding cultural variation (Chernilo, 2014, 2017; Sayer, 2011). This may be based on fear of ethnocentrism but as Mary Midgley (2003: 54) said, ‘You cannot have a plant or an animal without certain quite definite things being good and bad for it.’ To be sure, we have differently cultivated natures, but then for it to be possible for us to exhibit so much cultural variation, we must have a common susceptibility to socialization.…”

The question of the human in the Anthropocene debate

“…The idea of philosophical sociology that I have been developing over the past few years focuses on the need to articulate those, mostly implicit, conceptions of the human, humanity and human nature that are central to our understanding of social life (Chernilo, 2014, 2017). I call it philosophical sociology in order to highlight two main arguments.…”

“…I should like my contribution to this special issue to focus on a different set of concerns. In the past few years, and under the banner of ‘philosophical sociology’, I have been arguing that we require a more thorough understanding of the – often implicit – ideas of the human, humanity, and even human nature that underpin both political and social-scientific debates (Chernilo, 2014, 2017). The sociological purchase of looking at these implicit ideas of the human, I contend, lies in the fact that they are the ones giving content to normative ideas in society, such as justice, solidarity and autonomy.…”

“… 12. See Chernilo (2017: Chapter 1) for a full account. The question of humanism in social and political thought is experiencing a welcome revival.…”

“… 15. Each chapter of my Debating Humanity expands on one of these seven properties (Chernilo, 2017). I do not touch on the less flattering dimensions of our species’ behaviour (domination, cruelty, lying) because I am interested in the ways in which we can conceptualize such normative ideas as justice, solidarity, and fairness in society. …”