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Intersectionality is the notion that concerns the complexity of the experiences of individuals in virtue of their belonging to multiple socially significant categories. One of its main insights is that the way society is structured around categories such as gender, race, sexuality, class, etc., produces distinctive and specific forms of discrimination and privilege for groups in the intersections. In this paper, we suggest conceiving intersectionality as a general metaphysical framework wherein specific claims to the effect that the experiences of discrimination of Black women, among others, can be fruitfully formulated and examined. The main claim is that intersectional experiences emerge from the conjunction of social categories when social structures make them relevant vis-à-vis discrimination and privilege. We then argue that our view has three main virtues: metaphysical neutrality, explanatory flexibility and methodological openness. Explaining these virtues will allow us to contrast our proposal with alternatives from the recent literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that social theory can cast light on some of the main themes in current debates about trans issues. It considers four such themes: social classification and social control; tensions between individual and group rights; access to public spaces; and the relationship between personal pronouns and social identity. In so doing, it seeks to reframe local disagreement and polemic through more general questions about our modes of living together, and concludes that these debates are at bottom about the future of civility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multiple problems that the planet is currently experiencing—climate crisis, conventional and unconventional wars, planetary disenchantment with political systems, growth of inequality, increase in all kinds of intersectional violence, destructuring of the political economy of morality, etc.—are not a favorable scenario for thinking about hope. This paper nevertheless offers a summary presentation of the sociology of hope, presenting some of its central sources and components as well as a proposed study agenda for the future. This article seeks to foster discussion of what could be the central axes of a sociology of hope. To achieve this purpose, the following argumentative strategy was chosen: (a) the "place" of hope is explored in some classics of sociology, (b) the central components of a sociological investigation of hope are synthesized, and (c) an agenda is presented as a summary for a future development of a sociology of hope. The article seeks to draw attention to the urgency of hope as an important element for the future of sociology and social sciences in the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of "environment" is ambiguous in social theory. Sometimes it is wielded like a "tyrant" which moulds subjects as if they were a simple reflection of its environment; other times it is treated as if the environment is a "slave" of subjects whose agency can transform it. This paper reflects on the complex interaction between people and their environments. Social theory cannot establish a univocal, abstract, final explanation of the influence of the environment on people's behaviour and identity. Each environment will have a situational configuration that will have different consequences depending on other biological and cultural traits of the subject. Each specific situation must be analysed empirically to understand this complex interaction. The subject-environment mismatch creates "social folds" — that is wrinkles which open new social spaces and enable freedom. The modulation between environment and subject creates risks to freedom, but also liberating opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops an internal critique of Graham Oppy's metaphilosophy of religion – his theories of argumentation, worldview comparison, and epistemic justification. First, it presents Oppy's views and his main reasons in their favor. Second, it argues that Oppy is committed to two claims – that only truth-conducive reasons can justify philosophical belief and that such justification depends entirely on one's judgments about the theoretical virtues of comprehensive worldviews – that jointly entail the unacceptable conclusion that philosophical beliefs cannot be justified. Third, it briefly argues that of his two claims, it is his thoroughgoing coherentism that should be rejected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are numerous conceptions of violence today, such as physical, psychological, emotional, structural, and epistemic. The question of which social phenomena are to be described as violence is itself a matter of furious dispute. In social theory, there is a widespread tendency to distinguish between ‘modern’ and ‘postmodern’ conceptions of violence. In this scheme, modern violence is primarily physical, while postmodern violence takes places across a broad spectrum of forms. The paper questions this binary. The co-occurrence and conflict between these forms of violence leads to a third form, which I call refigured violence. The refiguration of violence can be observed in three developments, which are mediatisation, polycontexturalisation, and translocalisation. I provide one illustration of these considerations with the example of so-called shock sites on the internet. In so doing, I emphasise that the sociology of knowledge can provide a valuable perspective for making sense of contemporary discourses about violence in all their complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we will delve into Theodor W. Adorno's sociology. The general aim is to study Adorno's theory of society and its relation to sociological interpretation. What primarily distinguishes Adorno from other sociologists (of his time and today) is that he considers society to be the fundamental concept of the discipline. Theorising on the post-liberal capitalism of his time, Adorno proposes the concept of the exchange society, which is understood as an antagonistic totality that reproduces itself through the suffering it inflicts on socialised individuals. Within texts dating back to the 1960s, such as 'Society', Adorno engages in an exploration of comprehensive sociology and the sociology of social facts, reciprocally examining them. He confronts one with the other in a proposal of an interpretative model of the comprehensibility or incomprehensibility of society. This intellectual confrontation, while avoiding synthesis, leads Adorno to two main outcomes. First, it yields a diagnostic perspective on social theory, portraying capitalist society as simultaneously rational and irrational, comprehensible and incomprehensible. Second, it hints at a sociological interpretation of specific phenomena. In addition to exploring this central theme in Adorno's sociology, we will also shed light on his distinctive approach to classic texts and concepts. Specifically, Adorno links to the received terminologies but incorporates them into constellations that imbue them with eloquence by revealing the underlying objective moments they encapsulate. The theoretical significance of this article lies in the aim to demonstrate that Adorno's contributions to sociology are not merely borrowed from philosophical contemplations. Instead, they arise from an immanent critique of the sociological tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the suicide objection to pessimism, which suggests that if life is truly as terrible as pessimists claim, more of them should be willing to commit suicide. However, the author presents several counterarguments to this objection. They argue that pessimists may not view suicide as a solution, there are practical and ethical barriers to suicide, pessimists can engage in other actions, and there are fallacies in the suicide objection. The article also explores different perspectives on worth and ethical considerations of suicide. Overall, it provides a nuanced examination of the topic and offers multiple viewpoints. [Extracted from the article]

The article explores David Enoch's argument for the existence of irreducibly normative truths in the context of the deliberative project. It presents a counterargument to Enoch's position, suggesting that the two desiderata for the deliberative project may be incompatible. However, the article encourages further investigation into the question of whether a need can justify belief in normative truths. It discusses the distinction between normative reasoning and practical reasoning, providing examples to illustrate the difference. The article also examines the role of normative concepts and truths in second-order practical reasoning and explores different approaches to understanding the deliberative project. It concludes by acknowledging the need for further exploration and deliberation on this topic. [Extracted from the article]

One of the most controversial HRM topics that have received extensive attention from academics and practitioners communities over the past two decades is flexible working hours (FWH) and its impact on productivity. Nevertheless, the work is focused almost exclusively on business and organizational aspects neglecting the employees' and social perspectives, and thus far lacks a strong theoretical foundation, particularly social theory. Therefore, unlike other work, the present study focuses heavily on the employees' perspective based on a social theory; namely: social exchange theory (SET). This study aims to explore and evaluate the antecedents for requesting FWH, mainly: employee and social-related factors, which affect their productivity. SET was found valuable to serve the aim of the research because it magnifies the importance of the employee as a partner who is in reciprocal social relations. Two mixed triangulated sets of qualitative data were collected, namely: semi-structured interviews and document analysis (cross-sectional and longitudinal). Thirty-two interviews were conducted with employees and with management. Document analysis is a novel source of data that was extracted from the company's internal technological platform and contains employees' first-hand computerized typewritten comments about FWH. The analysis of the findings reveals that the most significant factors found affecting employees' decision to demand FWH for productivity are midday breaks, traffic/transportation, schooling, and social life. Moreover, the findings suggest that HR practitioners need to recognize employees' social factors before applying FWH practice. This present research makes an original and important contribution to HRM scholarship and reflects theoretical rigor (social exchange theory), methodological (mixed triangulation methods), empirical, and practical. For example, theoretical contributions regarding SET's reciprocity "black box" were highlighted. Moreover, the implication of the findings assists HR, in particular in Saudi organizations, to ensure the FWH contributes to overcoming these identified employees' related antecedents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of Motivation Reason Internalism and its limitations. It explores different versions of internalism and argues that they are either unnecessary or insufficient. The author introduces the idea of a third cause for motivation that is neither cognitive nor affective. The article also examines the relationship between normative reasons and different types of actions. It concludes that contextual motivation internalism, which considers an agent's contextual rationality and sensitivity to accessible information, is the most plausible explanation. The text addresses objections to this perspective and discusses the limitations of desire and motivation in relation to reason. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the concept of security and its impact on human well-being. The author discusses different types of security, including fact-security, belief-security, and emotion-security. They propose the concept of "security as sureness," which encompasses all three aspects. The article also distinguishes security from continuity, unconditionality, control, certainty, and robustness. The text discusses the concept of security and its relationship to well-being and human flourishing. It explains that security is about whether a person will actually enjoy a good over time, while robustness is about whether a person would enjoy a good in different circumstances. The text also explores different theories of well-being and argues for an objective concept called human flourishing. It discusses how security can contribute to human flourishing by providing efficiency benefits, preventing wasteful actions, and reducing fear and anxiety. The text acknowledges that belief-security and emotion-security may need to be backed up by fact-security in order to fully contribute to well-being. It emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between too little and too much security in order to live a flourishing life. The article does not argue for specific political implications or state intervention in providing security, as individual conceptions of well-being vary in a liberal society. It also acknowledges the potential costs and dangers of state security measures, which may infringe on personal freedoms. Ultimately, a flourishing life requires a combination of security and diversity, with occasional challenges and uncertainties. The article is written by J.A.M. Daemen and published by Springer [Extracted from the article]

Charles Thorpe argues sociology lacks a "language of society as a whole." He holds that positivist sociologists de-legitimated holistic theories or broad normatively oriented "social theories," leaving the discipline without discursive means to critically assess and deliberate its overall directions and those of society. Thorpe does not address holistic theory directly or explain how it differs analytically from standard "sociological theory." My intent is to clarify these matters by extending facets of his argument to illuminate the interdependence between holistic theorizing and empirical-historical social science, which is necessary to create the type of "reflexive sociology" that Thorpe argues would make sociology more cosmopolitan and capable of addressing the turbulent sociopolitical conditions in the interregnum after neoliberalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life course studies have the ambitious goal of relating one portion of the life history to subsequent outcomes, which may themselves be later fragments of the overall history. These studies may also wish to relate certain domains, or dimensions of the life course to others, as they each evolve over time. How can these partial histories be operationalised and incorporated into statistical models? Does the process of doing this require additional assumptions or even limit the types of statements we can make about individuals, their life choices and subsequent prospects? From what social theory can we draw when making these choices? Beginning with an abstract framing of this fundamental problem in social science research, we connect three very different statistical models for life course outcomes to theoretical models based in the social sciences. We show how the choices surrounding historical context have deep implications for interpretation through their connection to theoretical frameworks in life course research. We demonstrate that these models inform individual-specific and population-average interpretations of correlates of change and their corresponding life course pathways. Each approach contributes a unique perspective upon which a more comprehensive narrative may be constructed. We illustrate the models and their interpretation using co-residence information in the transition to adulthood using the Swiss Household Panel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]