THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL THEORY OF WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/Keywords:
William Graham Sumner, Early American social theory, Political theory, Laissez-faire doctrine, Social DarwinismAbstract
This paper examines the political and social thought of William Graham Sumner, one of the most important representatives of early American social theory. William Graham Sumner was the first professor of sociology in the United States and a consistent defender of the values of classical liberalism. He used social Darwinist argumentation, which proved to be extremely effective in order to defend the basic principles of laissez-faire doctrine and competitive capitalism. In that sense, the influence of Herbert Spencer on his theory is also examined, as well as the basic theses of Sumner’s non-interventionist philosophy and critique of protectionism. Sumner’s conception of freedom, his opposition to social reform, and conservative advocacy of the status quo, as essential parts of his political theory, were analized to see clearly the impact his teaching had on the further development on American social and political therory. Also, other parts of Sumner’s theory, such as the minimal role of the state and his critique of imperialism, are presented and scrutinized in detail.
References
[1] Bannister, Robert C., Social Darwinism: Science and Myth in Anglo-American Social Thought, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1979.
[2] Barnes, Harry Elmer, “Two Representative Contributions of Sociology to Political Theory: The Doctrines of William Graham Sumner and Lester Frank Ward”, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 1–23.
[3] Barnes, Harry Elmer, “Two Representative Contributions of Sociology to Political Theory: The Doctrines of William Graham Sumner and Lester Frank Ward”, The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 25, No. 2, str. 150–170.
[4] Beri, Norman, Uvod u modernu političku teoriju, Službeni glasnik, Beograd, 2007.
[5] Chriss, James J., “The Place of Lester Ward among the Sociological Classics”, Journal of Classical Sociology, Vol. 6, No. 1, str. 5–21.
[6] Curtis, Bruce, William Graham Sumner, Twayne Publishers, Boston, 1981.
[7] Čaldarović, Ognjen, Čikaška škola urbane sociologije, Naklada Jesenski i Turk – Hrvatsko sociološko društvo, Zagreb, 2012.
[8] Davie, Maurice R., William Graham Sumner, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1963.
[9] Dokić, Marko, „Spenserova kritika državnog intervencionizma”, Godišnjak Fakulteta političkih nauka, Vol. 9, br. 13, str. 185–203.
[10] Gidens, Entoni, Sociologija, CID, Podgorica, 2001.
[11] Giddings, Franklin Henry, Democracy and Empire, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1900.
[12] Hazeltine, Mayo W., “Herbert Spencer: The Evolutionary Philosophy” in John Lord (ed.), Beacon Lights of History, Vol. 14, James Clarke, New York, 1902, pp. 115–153.
[13] Hjum, Dejvid, Rasprava o ljudskoj prirodi, Veselin Masleša, Sarajevo, 1983.
[14] Humbolt, Vilhelm fon, Ideje za pokušaj određivanja granica delotvornosti države, Izdavačka knjižarnica Zorana Stojanovića, Sremski Karlovci, 1991.
[15] Lok, Džon, Dve rasprave o vladi, Utopija, Beograd.
[16] Marinković, Dušan, „Rana američka sociologija” u Marinković, Dušan (ur.), Rana američka sociologija 1892–1914 (311–327), Vojvođanska sociološka asocijacija – Mediterran Publishing, Novi Sad, 2010.
[17] Mil, Džon Stjuart, O slobodi, Plato, Beograd, 1998.
[18] Pečujlić, Miroslav, Milić, Vladimir, Sociologija, Miroslav Pečujlić i Vladimir Milić, Beograd, 2001.
[19] Peri, Marvin, Intelektualna istorija Evrope, CLIO, Beograd, 2000.
[20] Ravlić, Slaven, Svjetovi ideologije, CID – Politička kultura, Podgorica – Zagreb, 2013.
[21] Ritzer, George, Suvremena sociologijska teorija, Globus, Zagreb, 1997.
[22] Spencer, Herbert, Political Institutions: Being Part V of the Principles of Sociology (The Concluding Portion of Vol. II), Williams and Norgate, London – Edinburgh, 1882.
[23] Spencer, Herbert, Social Statics: Abridged and Revised, Watts, London, 1910.
[24] Spencer, Herbert, The Principles of Ethics, Vol. 2, Liberty Fund, Indianapolis, 1978.
[25] Spencer, Herbert, The Man versus the State with Six Essays on Government, Society, and Freedom, Liberty Fund, Indianapolis, 1982.
[26] Star, Harris E., William Graham Sumner, H. Holt and Company, New York, 1925.
[27] Sumner, William Graham, Protectionism: The –ism which Teaches that Waste Makes Wealth, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1888.
[28] Sumner, William Graham, Folkways: A Study of Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs and Morals, Ginn and Company, Boston, 1906.
[29] Sumner, William Graham, What Social Classes Owe to Each Other, Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York – London, 1911.
[30] Sumner, William Graham, War and other Essays, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1911.
[31] Sumner, William Graham, The Forgotten Man and Other Essays, Yale University Press – Humphrey Milford Oxford University Press, New Haven – London, 1919.
[32] Sumner, William Graham, “Sketch of William Graham Sumner” in Keller, A. G. and Davie, M. R. (eds.), Essays of William Graham Sumner, vol. 2., Yale University Press, Humphrey Milford – Oxford University Press, New Haven – London, 1934.
[33] Vujačić, Ilija, „Liberalni revizionizam Džona Stjuarta Mila”, Godišnjak Fakulteta političkih nauka, Vol. 1, br. 1, str. 9–28.
[34] Ward, Lester Frank, Pure Sociology, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1903.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
