Renan and the Study of Humanity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2196264 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Raymond Lenoir (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1925 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 289-317 |
| Publication date | 1925-11-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9602 • E-ISSN: 1537-5390 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/213878 |
| OpenAlex | W2012460786 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
Renan as an interpreter of humanity must be understood as a function of the conflicting forces which were remaking civilization after the Revolution. Distinct differentiating influences are enumerated which prepared Renan to face the immemorial problem-the origins and the end of humanity. He found in history not merely movement without result (Vico, Montesquieu, Herder), but a spontaneous tendency and a vital force (Hegel). Renan saw in the study of languages and religions a possible clue to the origin of the human species. Cardinal positions in his theory of language are indicated. From the study of religions he justified certain analogous inferences. There follow canons for using these conclusions as hypotheses for interpreting further civilizing developments, and also for application in concrete programs, guided by the principle-The end is not the happiness of the individual but his work. Comparison follows between Renan and Comte as interpreters of humanity, then between Renan and Gobineau and Cournot. The failure of recognition between Renan and the sociologists is explained
Absolute (philosophy) · Biology · Civilization · Epistemology · Function (biology) · Happiness · Hegelianism · Humanity · Interpreter · Political science · Sociology · Theology · Computer Science · Genetics · Law · Philosophy · Philosophy, Science, and History · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.14 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2016 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |