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1 T i t e l Between Discursivity and Sensus Communis Kant, Kantianism and the Social Media Theory of Talcott Parsons Inaugural-Dissertation in der Philosophischen Fakultät und Fachbereich Theologie der Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg vorgelegt von Alexander Stingl aus Nürnberg D 29 2 Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 28.November 2008 Dekan: Universitätsprofessor Dr. Jens Kulenkampff.. Erstgutachter: Universitätsprofessor Dr. Ilja Srubar . Zweitgutachter: Universitätsprofessor Dr. .Joachim Renn. 3 Table of contents Editorial Note and Acknowledgements Introduction: How to build a house for the social mind Two Premises, a brief genealogy of the history of teleo-mechanism and the biological vernacular Chapter One: Finding building the blocks for a house of the mind Kant and the possibility of the sciences of life, mind, and communication Chapter Two: Scaffoldings and foundations for building a social house of the mind Lotze on the transcendence of the boundaries of the microcosms of life and Max Weber's Logic of Science Chapter Three: Cornerstones Early American Pragmatism, William James, and the evolution of the (social) mind Chapter Four: A house for the social mind Talcott Parsons' biological vernacular, the languages of the social sciences, and communication as a problem and solution. Chapter Five: Furnishings Parsons and his interlocutors: Durkheim, Jaspers, and Barnard Afterword (November 2009): Instead of an answer and conclusion: a reopening Bibliography Analytical Table of contents with page numbers 4 For Angie, who was my purpose, the home to my heart, and who will forever be my one true love. I miss you every day. With you I just got there, with you I could live for real. I just hoped for you to find your home with me. 5 Acknowledgements: Victor Lidz (along with Harold Bershady) and Donald Levine have read an earlier version and each provided extensive critical review, which was extremely helpful towards the production of the book. Uta Gerhardt discussed some early, Larry Nichols and Hans Bakker some late ideas with me. Randall Collins has taken a look at portions of the manuscript and encouraged me towards its value. David Karp and Jonah Friedman made several articles available to me, which I could not have acquired otherwise. I am immensely grateful to Graham Harman for letting me read an early manuscript of his book Prince of Networks. Anne Harrington reminded me of the need to refrain from too much jargon. While I am, after a fashion, a scholarly island, I do have yet to say thanks for support and information in this effort to various people; all defects of this book are and remain, literally, the artefacts of my creation: In Germany: Dr. Ursula Burkhardt and Prof. Johannes Burkhardt (University of Augsburg, History) Many thanks to Prof. Uta Gerhardt (University of Heidelberg, Sociology). I also thank the following people in Germany for answering emails, having phone conversations with me, or meeting with me in person to discuss some or the other aspect of the history of science or sociology – they appear in no particular order: Prof. Helmut Staubmann (Sociology), Prof. Hans Joas (University of Erfurt, Max Weber Centre), Prof. Helmbrecht Breinig (University of Erlangen, American Literature), Prof. Hauke Brunkhorst(University of Flensburg, Sociology), Prof. Thomas Schwinn (Eichstätt, Sociology), Prof. Michael Schmid (München, Sociology), Prof. Olaf Hansen (University of Frankfurt, American Literature) and Prof. Harald Wenzel (JFK-Centre, Berlin, Sociology), Prof. Lorraine Daston (Max-Planck- Institute for the History of Science), Dr. Martin Hartmann (University of Frankfurt, IfS, Philosophy/Sociology), Prof. Andre Kieserling (Bielefeld, Sociology), Prof. Martin Carrier(Bielfeld, Philosophie) . The DAAD helped finance a trip to the archives at Harvard in summer 2007. The participants of the Prof. Brunkhorst’s Colloquium in Flensburg. Tanja Reischl, AOK Bayern, and Alexander Loehner, Sparkasse Nuernberg. At FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg (Economic/Social Science Faculty): Prof. Martin Abraham and Dr. Reinhard Wittenberg. Rosemary Zahn (Language Centre FAU) 6 In London: The staff at the LSE archives aided in my review of some material in spring 2007. Josephine Anne Stein (University of East London, Engineering). For their very helpful comments and suggestions during our conversations at the 2008 and 2009 BSA Annual Conferences, I am grateful to Prof. John Bone and Prof. David Inglis (both University of Aberdeen, Sociology), Prof. Iain Crinson (St. George’s University of London) and Dr. Sandra Moog (University of Essex, Sociology), Antje Bednarek (Aberdeen, Sociology), Lara Kilick and Mike from the Postgrad Forum. I am indebted to Judith Mudd and all the people who were nice and kind to me during the BSA in 2009 at Cardiff, Wales, especially the officers of Cardiff’s police department and the detectives of CID, and all members of the BSA who were willing to help, and of course Neil Jordan from AshgatePublishing (we will do a book together yet, I promise). The witty Sonja Morgenstern, who is a good friend and made my attending the BSA in London 2007 possible. In the United States there are many scholars who answered my emails, phone-calls, or met with me in person to talk about Parsons, Kant, and the history of physiology and experimental psychology. My gratitude to them is expressed here (in no particular order, hoping that I haven’t forgotten anyone): Beau Cronin (MIT), Prof. Mark Gould (Haverford Sociology), Prof. Stephen Kalberg (Boston University Sociology), Prof. Barbara Heyl, Prof. Neil Gross (Harvard Sociology), Prof. Randall Collins (UPenn, Philadelphia Sociology), Jamie Cohen- Cole (Univ.Chicago, Fishbein Center) Prof. Charles Camic (Northwestern University Sociology), Prof. Robert Bellah (Berkeley Sociology), Raymond Butti (Brown, Archives), Prof. Neil Smelser(Sociology), Prof. Gerald Holton (Harvard, History of Science), Prof. Charles Maier (Harvard, CES), Prof. David Karp (Boston College, Sociology), Reynolds Smith (Sociology Editor, Duke UP), Prof. Patricia Rieker (Boston University, Sociology) Prof. Peter Galison (Harvard, History of Science), Prof. Lionel MacPherson(Tufts, Philosophy), Prof. Christine Koorsgard (Harvard, Philosophy) , Prof. Montgomery Link (Suffolk, Philosophy), Dr. Deborah Schneider (Harvard, German Language at the Divinity School), Prof. Elizabeth “Doctor Eli” Vaquera (Tampa Bay, Sociology), Prof. Simone Polillo (Virginia Univ., Sociology), Diane M. Rielinger (Records Manager/Archivist Marine Biological Laboratory). Prof. Adelheid Vosskuhl (Harvard, History of Science), Prof. Frank Oppenheim and his assistant Dawn Aberg, Graham Harman (American University of Cairo, Egypt), Prof. Charles Parsons(Harvard, Philosophy), Prof. Ron Sandler (Philosophy of Science, Northeastern), Prof. Erica James (Anthropology, MIT), Dr. Nate Greenslit (MIT, media lab), Prof. Larry Nichols (Univ. West Virgina, Sociology), Adam Pivonka (Physics, Harvard), Prof. Ellen Langer and, of course, her lab (Harvard Univ., Psychology), Hans Keune (Univ.Ghent) and Helen Kopnina (Univ.Amsterdam), Prof. John Ratey (Harvard, Medical), Peter Wayne, Eric Jacobson, Cathy Kerr, Gurjeet Birdee and Ted Kaptchuk (all at Harvard Osher Center) , Michael Kocet (Counseling Education Dept.Chair, Bridgewater), Michael Bare (PhD candidate, UChicago sociology), David Kellog (Writing/Rhetoric, Northeastern). I owe Prof. Anne Harrington (Harvard, History of Science) a debt of gratitude for her kindness, time, and criticism. 7 Thanks to the wonderful people at the Harvard Archives, Pusey Library and the Business School Library; in particular Michelle Gachette. Also the guys and ladies at the door who look after things: Randy Fenstermacher, Micah, and Irene (probably the nicest person ever). Also, I must make mention of Caleb Morfit, Nick, Toby &Co in Philadelphia and Tom Mattos at Lame Duck Books, Boston. All of whom were helpful in housing me in Philly, so I could interview Professors Lidz/Fox/Bershady, Levine and Gould. Prof. Victor Lidz (Drexel Univ. Philadelphia, Sociology), Prof. Harold Bershady (Philadelphia, Sociology), and Prof. Renée Fox (Philadelphia, Sociology) have shared invaluable stories and insights with me. My friend Emily Williams (EBSCO) edited one of the final versions of the Introduction, I am very grateful for her advice. The Kadilaks, Tammy and Cathy from downstairs, Sue Callanan, and, of course, Patrick and Alison MacDonald have welcomed me and been very kind to me during 2007 and 2009. Between June 2007 and August 2009 I had a home and a family in Somerville, MA with Angelique Murillo and her zoo with Olivia (“Livi, the boo-bear”), the “Bean” CocoCrisp, Penelope (“π”), and Monkey “Monk”. I wish things were different. And, of course, tons of thanks to two gentlemen scholars who have been kind to me and who I like to call senior colleagues, friends and long-distance mentors: Hans Bakker (Univ. of Guelph, Sociology) and Donald Levine (UChicago, Sociology). My debts to friends, in many regards, are growing: Birgit Doerle, Lazarino Antini, Claudia Doenitz, Wendel J. Burkhardt, Joana Mangiuca, Volker Wegener, Sarah Wenzel, Jonah Friedman, Oana Dan, Michael Kocet, and Brisja Sternquist. Harald “Hari” Fuchs, who has been a friend, sponsor, and co-conspirator in many ways over the past few years and with whom I have had opportunity to discuss so many economic, business, and political implications of the ideas of Kant, Max Weber and Talcott Parsons. My Nuremberg family: Mu (my wonderful and gracious Mom) and Sepp. Unfortunately