Charles taylor atomism Continue Atomism or social atomism is a sociological theory emerging from a scientific atomic theory invented by the ancient Greek philosopher Democrit and roman philosopher Lucretius. In the scientific visualization of the word, atomism refers to the notion that all matter in the universe consists of basic indivisicable components, or atoms. When included in the field of sociology, atomism assigns the individual the basic unit of analysis for all the consequences of social life. This theory refers to the tendency for society to consist of a collection of self-serving and largely self-sufficient individuals acting as separate atoms. Thus, all social values, institutions, events and procedures develop entirely out of the interests and actions of people who inhabit a particular society. The individual is the atom of society and therefore the only true subject of care and analysis. Political fallout Political theorists such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbs spread social atomism into the political sphere. They argue that people are fundamentally self-serving, equal and rational social atoms that together form a cumulative society of self-serving individuals. Those who participate in society must sacrifice part of their individual rights in order to enter into a social contract with others in society. Ultimately, while some rights are being renounced, cooperation is taking place in order to preserve individuals and society as a whole. According to the philosopher Charles Taylor, the term atomism is used freely to characterize the doctrines of the theory of social contracts that emerged in the seventeenth century, as well as the doctrines of the successor, which may not have used the concept of a social treaty, but which inherited a vision of society as, in a sense, formed by individuals to accomplish goals that were primarily individual. Some forms of utilitarianism are, in this sense, successor doctrines. This term also applies to modern doctrines, which are trained with the theory of social contracts, or which try to protect in some sense the priority of the individual and his right over society, or which represent it a purely instrumental view of society. Critics of those who criticize the theory of social atomism believe that it ignores the idea of the individual as unique. Sociologist Elisabeth Volgast argues that, from an atomistic point of view, the people who make up society are interchangeable, like molecules in a bucket of water - society is just a set of individuals. This introduces severe and cruel equality into our theory of human life, and it contradicts our experience of human beings as unique and irreplaceable, valuable because of their diversity - in what they do not share - not because of their common ability to reason. Those the issue of social atomism argues that it is unfair to treat all people equally when individual needs and circumstances are clearly different. Cm. also Society portal Anomie Differentiation (sociology) Holism Id, ego and super-ego - Ego Independence Individualism Social Integration Social Integration Links Footnotes - American English Heritage Dictionary 2000. Heywood 2011, page 138. Atomism. Free Farlex Dictionary. Received on September 21, 2012. Social treaty and constitutional republics. The Constitution of society. Received on 21 September 2012. Taylor 1985, page 187. Volgast 1994, page 226. T.R. quigley (1999). Social atomism and the order of the Old World. T.R. cuigli. Archive from the original on March 8, 2012. Received on September 21, 2012. The bibliography of the American English Heritage Dictionary. 2000. Heywood, Andrew (2011). Global politics. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-8982-6.CS1 maint: ref'harv (link) Taylor, Charles (1985). Atomism. Philosophical documents. Volume 2: Philosophy and humanities. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. 187-210. ISBN 978-0-521-31749-8.CS1 maint: ref'harv (link) Volgast, Elizabeth (1994). The world of social atoms. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. CS1 maint: ref'harv (link) Further reading by Epstein, Brian (2018). Social ontology. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (summer 2018). Stanford University, California. ISSN 1095-5054. Received on May 25, 2020. Retrieved from Charles TaylorCC GOQ FRSC FBATaylor in 2019BornCharles Margrave Taylor (1931-11-05) November 5, 1931 (age 88)Montreal, Quebec, CanadaAlma materMcGill UniversityBalliol College, OxfordNotable workSources of the Self (1989)A Secular Age (2007)Spouse(s)Alba Romer Taylor (m. 1956; died 1990) [1][2]AwardsTempleton Prize (2007)Kyoto Prize (2008)Kluge Prize (2015)Berggruen Prize (2016)EraContemporary philosophyRegionWestern philosophySchool Analytic philosophy (early) continental philosophy (hermeneutics)[3] (late) communitarianism Hegelianism[4] InstitutionsAll Souls College, OxfordMcGill UniversityNorthwestern UniversityDoctoral advisorSir Isaiah BerlinDoctoral students Ruth Abbey[5][6] Frederick C. Beiser[7] Michael E. Rosen[8] Michael J. Sandel[9] Other notable students Richard Kearney[43] Guy Laforest[44] Daniel Weinstock [ca; es; fr][45] Main interestsPolitical philosophycosmopolitanismsecularityreligionmodernityNotable ideasCommunitarian critique of liberalismcritique of naturalism and formalist epistemologyengaged hermeneutics[10] Influences Aristotle Daniel Bell Sir Isaiah Berlin[11] Hubert Dreyfus Émile Durkheim Hans-Georg Gadamer[12] Hegel Martin Heidegger Johann Georg Hamann (Johann Gottfried Herder) Alexander von Humboldt (William James Christopher Lasch Gilles Lipovetsky) Karl Marx Maurice Merlot-Ponty (Dame Ai Plato Michael Ric'ur ( 24) Max Weber Ludwig Wittgenstein influenced Kwame Anthony Appiah Daniel A. Bell (Robert N. Bellah - Craig Augustine Di Noia Mark Stuart Edwards - Axel Honneth as Sean Dorrans Kelly (34) Nicholas Compridis Guy Laforest (Jack Layton) Charles Lindholm David Lyon Bhikhu Pareh (Mary Poovey) Michael J. James K. A. 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E. M. Ancombe Hans Urs von Baltasar Maurice Blondel Chesterton Yves Congar Henri de Lubeck John Finnis Reginald Garrigu-Lagrange Etienne Gilson Renee Girard Gomez Deila Romano Guardini John Huldein Dietrich von Hildebrand Bernard Lon Fergan Marshall McLu Hanasdeir McIntyre Gabriel Marcel Marcel Joan-Luke Marion Mariten Emmanuel Munier Joseph Piper Carl Rauner Edith Stein Charles Taylor Catholic portal Portalvte Charles Margrave Taylor CC GO FRSC FBA (born 5 November is a Canadian philosopher from Montreal, 1931. , and professor emeritus of McGill University is best known for his contributions to political philosophy, philosophy of social sciences, history of philosophy and intellectual history. His work earned him the Kyoto Prize, the Templeton Prize, the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and the John W. Kluge Award. In 2007, Taylor worked with Gerard Bouchard at the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on reasonable accommodation in connection with cultural differences in the province of quebec. He also contributed to moral philosophy, epistemology, hermeneutics, aesthetics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language and philosophy of action. His father, Walter Margrave Taylor, was a Toronto-born steel magnate, while his mother, Simone Marguerite Bobien, was a dressmaker. His sister was Gretta Chambers. From 1939 to 1946, he attended Selwyn House School, followed by Trinity College from 1946 to 1949, and in 1952 he began his studies at McGill University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in history. He continued his studies at Oxford University, first as a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, earning a Bachelor of Philosophy with honours in philosophy, politics and economics in 1955, and then in graduate school, earning a PhD in 1961 under Sir Isaiah Berlin.