Search results for "Social philosophy"

Smash and Laugh: A philosophical analysis on the relationship between humour and violence

2019

This article focuses on the relationship between humour and violence from a philosophical perspective. It is necessary to analyze different forms of violence and humour to understand in which ways ...

The Social Entrepreneur as a Promoter of Social Advancement

2015

Abstract The purpose of the study is to clarify the concepts of social entrepreneur and to identify Latvia's social entrepreneurs in the context of entrepreneurship based on a review of scientific literature, a survey of social entrepreneurs and expert interviews. On the basis of an analysis of the scientific literature, a theoretical framework of entrepreneurial competences is created which forms the basis for the practical solution of the research problem. The survey method and the interview method was used for learning about a social entrepreneur's personal qualities and skills, main motives and opportunities to create social enterprises and to develop entrepreneurship, as well as to lea…

The Phenomenon of Social Enterprise in Austria: A Triangulated Descriptive Study

2011

Abstract There is little to no existing research on the phenomenon of social enterprises (SEs) in Austria. To enable subsequent comparative studies, the author first traces social enterprises' conceptual underpinnings from most current research found in leading journals and subsequently creates a framework based upon social origins theory for use on Austria's social enterprises. In order to validate the findings, the author employs a triangulated research approach, including an online-based survey, semi-structured interviews and two panel discussions. Social enterprises in Austria are characterized through social activities, organizational types, legal forms, the society sector, the outcome…

Evolutionary biology and beliefs : how ideology can draw different social stances from science

2016

Agreeing that there are often strong connections between fields of science and the ideological convictions of those producing the science, this essay shows that the connections are often complex and rarely straightforward. Taking the example of evolutionary biology, by looking at three key figures ? Herbert Spencer, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace ? it is shown how very different social beliefs can lead to very different social conclusions being drawn from one?s science. It is argued that this message should be kept firmly in mind by those who today would draw social conclusions from science, for instance suggesting that Darwinian evolutionary biology leads straight to the social p…

06. Laughing at Oneself: On the New Social Character

2015

This paper examines certain practices of humour, especially self-ridicule, as a kind of social pathology, drawing on the work of Erich Fromm. The paper starts with the observation that laughing at oneself is typically considered to be a positive trait. In general, self-ridicule reveals that the joker does not consider him- or herself to occupy a high ground, to be above ridicule. This kind of affirmative attitude towards laughing at oneself is also present in many philosophers’ thinking. Morally, it is stated, it is better to laugh at oneself than at others. The paper challenges some of these general ideas. Not every kind of self-ridiculing is positive. Laughing at oneself can eventually be…

The otherness of social work under neoliberal governance

2013

This special issue examines the topic of ‘understanding the Other’ from a very different perspective of ‘Otherness’, which advocates that the own Otherness of social work be reflected on as well. In the contexts of many current societies, social work itself increasingly appears as a strange element – an exceptional idea – as ‘the Other’. Moreover, a question raises over whether social work itself is understandable to those who are outside of it. In this paper, social work is distinguished at three institutional levels: as a science, as a profession and as an ideology or social movement. The paper aims at analysing how social work itself is put into the position of ‘the Other’ in the current…

On the ontology of social pathologies

2019

The recent years have seen a rehabilitation of the concept of social pathology in the critical social theory. However, several pertinent questions about how to understand social pathologies remain. One of the big issues is, who is actually ill when a society is ill? Is it certain individuals, a large proportion of the population, groups, institutions, or the society as a whole? And what does it mean for these entities to be in a pathological state?This short presentation introduces four conceptions of social pathology that can be divided into roughly two camps. The “thin sense” of social pathology is more metaphorical and focuses on the socially caused and pervasive suffering of individuals…

Education and Social Structure

2015

In this chapter Education and Social Structure, Jon P. Knudsen argues that the role and effect of education is strongly integrated with social and cultural structures. In order to understand how education works, one has to understand how it interrelates with the norms and structure of the cultural environment it plays into. The chapter calls for a balanced development strategy, where new initiatives are discussed in relation to the social and historical environment it is part of. The focus moves from the university to the region. Of course we cannot assume that all universities are seen as part of regions. Some draw on students and subject matter from a wider world. However, even the region…

Review Essay

2000

The Social Policy Index: It's Applicability in Latin American Countries

2014

Social Policy is a tool employed by states to intervene in society with an aim of reducing the effects of poverty and inequality by meeting people's basic needs. The question is how do we measure social policy? In 2006, the United Nations Organization proposed a Social Policy Index (SPI), a methodological tool to measure social policy, with the aim of understanding the current regimes of economic and social structures in each country. The SPI suggests quantifying the elements of social policy, without focusing on their results, preferring to identify how the policy and the efforts of each government are materialized in some social indexes like social spending, social security, taxes, and in…