Phenomenology and social science: Alfred Schütz’s proto-sociology

Résumé

TThe paper surveys A. Schütz’s proto-sociological theory that carried on Weber’s sociological program by expanding it through Husserl’s constitutive phenomenology. The theory will be explicated through a focus on its phenomenological aspect. Schütz’s phenomenology is based on two elements. Firstly, it uses a phenomenological variant of action theory, namely the idea that argues for the given nature of intersubjective relationships. Secondly, it uses the criticism of Husserl’s tenets on intersubjectivity. Schütz’s theory about the relation of everyday and scientific understanding is influenced by expectations of social science. Therefore his theory transcends the limitations of other phenomenological theories that defy application in the area of social sciences. In addition, his model can has its own place in philosophical phenomenology. The paper, finally, surveys those trends in sociology that have carried on Schütz’s approach and managed to mingle aspects of phenomenology and sociology.