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From International Socialism (1st series), No.6, Autumn 1961, p.32.
Thanks to Ted Crawford & the late Will Fancy.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.
Evolution and Progress
Morris Ginsberg
Heinemann, 25s.
The essays in this book are in part about the notion of social development and in part about the history of sociology. The latter essays contain masterly short accounts of Durkheim, Weber, Simmel and others. The discussion of their methodology provides a useful background to the enquiries in the first part of the book. What constitutes one society, a development from another, an advance upon another, or a falling back from another? Ginsberg sees history as ‘a series of groping efforts of men slowly becoming aware of their common needs and the possibilities of harmonious co-operation’. The platitudinous liberalism of his conclusions should not lead to an ignoring of the interesting stages by which he reaches them. His criticism of Marxism is always acute. This book exhibits intellectual open-mindedness at its best and worst; every thought is entertained and nothing at all is argued out to the bitter end. But Marxists have so much to learn from (as well as to give to) sociology, that Ginsberg should always be taken seriously. The interest is in the detail.
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Last updated on 20 February 2010