Alfred Schutz--An Exposition and Critique

A. Schutz's attempts to create a scientific method "which does not subjugate a meaning-endowed actor to objective, impersonal causal laws" is discussed. Each actor freely chooses his projects & thus influences the action which will take place in the completion of those projects. S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The British journal of sociology 1975-03, Vol.26 (1), p.1-19
Main Author: Gorman, Robert A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior/Behavioral
Causality
Common sense
Idealization
Motive/Motives/Motivation/ Motivational
Phenomenology
Schutz, Alfred
Scientific method
Social behavior
Social interaction
Social sciences
Subjectivity
Typification
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Summary:A. Schutz's attempts to create a scientific method "which does not subjugate a meaning-endowed actor to objective, impersonal causal laws" is discussed. Each actor freely chooses his projects & thus influences the action which will take place in the completion of those projects. Schutz labels the actors' motives as "because-motives" (those factors from ones past which influence the decision on which action will be taken) & "in-order-to" motives that are future oriented in accomplishing the Act. Schutz contends that we are indeed unique actors acting freely; however, our actions & decisions are based on the prescriptions of the economic & social world to which we belong. Thus, those prescriptions are scientifically measurable. This is true as long as the actor does not question the prescriptions of the social milieu. However, the "freedom" then becomes nothing more than an unquestioning response to social mores & institutions. It is possible to use this scientific method in the study of those mundane, automatic behavior patterns which characterize some of our activities. However, as M. Weber points out, these are of little interest to most sociologists. Weber shares Schutz' feeling about a scientific method but does not state that it can be applied to more than a limited sphere. Schutz' artificially created homunculus is only adequate when the actor is responding unthinkingly, automatically, to life. In matters of complexity it becomes increasingly useless. Therefore, Schutz' method can have little place in the study of social problems or any kind of creative or deviant behavior. B. Weisbrod.
ISSN:0007-1315
1468-4446
DOI:10.2307/589239