Publication Details

Abstract

The problem of the subject and character of sociology is important for the development of the discipline itself if we consider the delineation of its responsibility for a scientific cognizance of a certain field or aspect of social phenomena, and thus for the determination of its place within the system of social sciences, and finally for the division and organization of scientific research Sociology cannot develop as an inhomogeneous conglomeration of mechanically or incidentally constituted „sociological“ problems. The internal logic of its problems is bound to represent the reflection of real dialectics of social phenomena. At present essentially three types of conception of Marxistic sociology can be encountered. The conception of the identity of historical materialism and sociology, and secondly the conception of a relative independence of concrete sociology in the framework of historical materialism classify concrete sociological research — with certain differences — into historical materialism. According to both these conceptions sociological research is to becomethe proper source of empirically-theoretical cognition for historical materialism, at variance with the other empiricallytheoretical sciences which are not classed into historical materialism. According to the third conception sociology does possess the character of a self-contained empirically-theoretical scientific discipline. Its theoretical and methodological point of departure is historical materialism. In the same way as the other empirically-theoretical Asocial disciplines, sociology offers to historical materialism partially generalized cognitions for further generalization on the highest level. The subjects of research of empirically-theoretical sociology are specific laws (laws of lower and middle generality) of the development and structure of social phenomena as of manysided complexes.