Abstract

The idea that human action is variable and is determined by external conditions, independent from the individual will, is one of the necessary conditions for the development of the social sciences. Constantin-François Volney (1757-1820), member of the group of French intellectuals known as the Idéologues, active during and following the last phase of the French Revolution, played a crucial role in this process, as author of an number of ethnographic and methodological texts. In terms of method, Volney argues for a radical empiricism, based on observation and systematic data-collection. Volney also anticipates one of the fundamental sociological questions: the relation between structure and action. Finally, Volney developed remarkable insights in the possibilities and limits and, therefore, the specificity of the social sciences.

How to Cite:

Stouthuysen, P. & Huysseune, M., (2014) “De eerste socioloog?: Constantin-François Volney (1757-1820) en de determinanten van het menselijk handelen”, Sociologos 35(4), 282–302. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86860