Table Of ContentWhy Things Matter to People
AndrewSayerundertakesafundamentalcritiqueofsocialscience’sdiffi-
culties in acknowledging that people’s relation to the world is one of
concern. As sentient beings, capable of flourishing and suffering, and
particularly vulnerable to how others treat us, our view of the world is
substantially evaluative. Yet modernist ways of thinking encourage the
common but extraordinary belief that values are beyond reason, and
merely subjective or matters of convention, with little or nothing to do
with the kind of beings people are, the quality of their social relations,
theirmaterialcircumstances,orwell-being.Theauthorshowshowsocial
theoryandphilosophyneedtochangetoreflectthecomplexityofevery-
day ethical concerns and the importance people attach to dignity. He
argues for a robustly critical social science that explains and evaluates
sociallifefromthestandpointofhumanflourishing.
andrew sayer is Professor of Social Theory and Political Economy in
the Department of Sociology at Lancaster University. His most recent
publicationsincludeTheMoralSignificanceofClass(2005)andRealism
andSocialScience(2000).
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Why Things Matter
to People
Social Science, Values and Ethical Life
andrew sayer
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Sayer,R.Andrew.
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p. cm.
ISBN978-1-107-00114-5(hardback)
1. Socialvalues. 2. Socialnorms. 3. Values. 4. Normativity(Ethics) 5. Social
sciences–Moralandethicalaspects. I. Title.
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Somediscouragement,somefaintnessofheartatthenewrealfuturewhich
replacestheimaginary,isnotunusual,andwedonotexpecttobedeeply
movedbywhatisnotunusual.Thatelementoftragedywhichliesinthe
veryfactoffrequency,hasnotyetwroughtitselfintothecoarseemotion
ofmankind;andperhapsourframescouldhardlybearmuchofit.Ifwe
hadakeenvisionandfeelingofallordinaryhumanlife,itwouldbelike
hearingthegrassgrowandthesquirrel’sheartbeat,andweshoulddieof
thatroarwhichliesontheothersideofsilence.Asitis,thequickestofus
walkaboutwellwaddedwithstupidity.
(GeorgeEliot,Middlemarch)
Wefeelthatevenwhenallpossiblescientificquestionshavebeenanswered,
theproblemsofliferemaincompletelyuntouched.
(Wittgenstein,1922,TractatusLogico-Philosophicus)
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Contents
Acknowledgements pageviii
1 Introduction:arelationtotheworldofconcern 1
2 Valueswithinreason 23
3 Reasonbeyondrationality:valuesandpracticalreason 59
4 Beingsforwhomthingsmatter 98
5 Understandingtheethicaldimensionoflife 143
6 Dignity 189
7 Criticalsocialscienceanditsrationales 216
8 Implicationsforsocialscience 246
Appendix:Commentsonphilosophicaltheoriesofethics 253
References 264
Index 279
vii
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Acknowledgements
IamindebtedtotheEconomicandSocialResearchCouncil(ESRC)for
the fellowship I held in 2004–5 on ethics and social theory, which
allowedmetopursuethisresearch.
Many people have helped me in various ways. I am indebted to the
graduate students at Lancaster University who took ‘Contemporary
DebatesinSociology’overthelastfiveyearswithme,andwhohadto
endureearlierversionsofsomeofthecontentsofthisbook.I’dalsolike
torecordmyappreciationofLancasterSociologyDepartment’sexcel-
lent support staff team of Claire O’Donnell, Jules Knight, Ruth Love,
KarenGammonandCathGorton.
There are many friends and colleagues I’d like to thank for their
support, feedback, guidance, inspiration and beneficial distraction:
John Allen, Margaret Archer, Pat Batteson, Ted Benton, Sharon
Bolton, Keith Breen, Gideon Calder, Eric and Cecilia Clark, Norman
Fairclough and Isabela Ietcu-Fairclough, Steve and Anne Fleetwood,
Bernhard Forchtner, Anne-Marie Fortier, Bridget Graham and Tom
Fairclough, Costis Hadjimichalis and Dina Vaiou, Frank Hansen and
Helle Fischer, Iain Hunter and Sue Halsam, Bob Jessop, Russell Keat,
Richard Light, Kathleen Lynch, Dimitri Mader, Marie Moran, Kevin
Morgan,CarolineNew,PhilO’Hanlon,BetsyOlson,DianeReay,Bev
Skeggs, Eeva Sointu, Sylvia Walby, Dick Walker, Ruth Wodak, Erik
OlinWright, JillYeung, KarinZotzmann,andfriendsintheOver the
Hillwalkingclub.SpecialthankstomygoodfriendLindaWoodhead,
fellow member of the Lancaster Neo-Aristotelian Dining Club, who
commentedbothcriticallyandencouraginglyonmuchofthebookand
helpedmethinkmoreclearly,andlikewisetoJohnO’Neill(onceagain)
forhisinvaluableadviceonphilosophicalmatters.
FormusictherapyIwouldliketorecordmythankstoCelsoFonseca,
GillianWelch,DavidRawlings,NitinSawhney,PerKindgren,andthe
late Thomas Tallis and Roberto Baden-Powell; more locally and
viii
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Acknowledgements ix
actively, my thanks and appreciation to Richard Light, Iain Hunter,
RickMiddleton,SamKing,andtheLancasterMillenniumChoir.
Finally,IwouldliketothankmydaughterLizzieformakingmefeela
very fortunate Dad; and to Liz Thomas, my love and thanks for her
warmthandwisdom,andforspreadingwell-beingaround.
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