Stanislaw Ossowski
Encyclopedia
Stanisław Ossowski was one of Poland
's most important sociologists
. He held professor
ships at Łódź University (1945–1947) and Warsaw University (1947–1963).
and aesthetics
before moving on to sociology
. He was a proponent of humanistic sociology
and antinaturalism
, differentiating between the natural science
s and the social sciences
. He has had a strong influence on Polish sociologists, including Zygmunt Bauman
and Jerzy Szacki
.
In 1949 Ossowski was a founding member, and from 1959 to 1962 vice-president, of the International Sociological Association
. In 1956 he was a founding member of the reactivated Polish Sociological Association
and became its first president (1957-63).
Ossowski was married to Maria Ossowska
, a fellow sociologist and social philosopher
.
Maria Ossowska
and Stanisław Ossowski are considered to be among the founders of the field of "science of science" due to their authorship of a seminal 1935 paper entitled "The Science of Science."
His work "Class Structure in the Social Consciousness" addressed the very vexing problem (to the Communist idealogues of the Comintern) why it was that the most advanced economy of the time (the USA) was also the most vehement opponent of Communism, in direct opposition to central Marxist tenets. This work was undertaken in the Post-Stalin thaw in the late 1950's at potential severe risk to his own person and his family. The main thrust of the book (which was obscured by blanketing it with lengthy and unassailable Marxian analysis to protect himself), was that wage differentials in the USA could be explained by viewing the extra income over a base labouring job, as being a rent received for the intellectual capital that the worker possessed. Thus in an advanced economy with a very wide range of skills in the workforce, a wider division of labour would exist than that in a less advanced economy. The further conclusion was that all those receiving "rent" for their intellectual capital would inately, in Marxian terms, have "Petit Bourgeois" political and sociological allegiances. Thus the more advanced an economy was the less likely it would naturally be Communist, destroying the Marxist-Lenist conviction that Communism was the inevitable destination of an advancing economy.
A measure of the esteem with which he was regarded by his compatriots is best exemplified by the statue of him erected in Central Warsaw.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
's most important sociologists
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. He held professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
ships at Łódź University (1945–1947) and Warsaw University (1947–1963).
Life
Ossowski first contributed to logicLogic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
before moving on to sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. He was a proponent of humanistic sociology
Antipositivism
Antipositivism is the view in social science that the social realm may not be subject to the same methods of investigation as the natural world; that academics must reject empiricism and the scientific method in the conduct of research...
and antinaturalism
Antinaturalism
Antinaturalism or postnaturalism can have the following meanings:*Antinaturalism *Antinaturalism...
, differentiating between the natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
s and the social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. He has had a strong influence on Polish sociologists, including Zygmunt Bauman
Zygmunt Bauman
Zygmunt Bauman is a Polish sociologist who, since 1971, has resided in England after being driven out of Poland by an anti-Semitic campaign, engineered by the Communist government which he had previously supported...
and Jerzy Szacki
Jerzy Szacki
Jerzy Ryszard Szacki is a Polish sociologist and historian of ideas, and emeritus professor of the University of Warsaw....
.
In 1949 Ossowski was a founding member, and from 1959 to 1962 vice-president, of the International Sociological Association
International Sociological Association
International Sociological Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences...
. In 1956 he was a founding member of the reactivated Polish Sociological Association
Polish Sociological Association
The Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne is the main professional organization of sociologists in Poland. The PTS defines its mission as "supporting the development of sociology and popularizing sociological knowledge within society".Currently the organization states to have approx...
and became its first president (1957-63).
Ossowski was married to Maria Ossowska
Maria Ossowska
Maria Ossowska was a Polish sociologist and social philosopher.-Life:...
, a fellow sociologist and social philosopher
Social philosophy
Social philosophy is the philosophical study of questions about social behavior . Social philosophy addresses a wide range of subjects, from individual meanings to legitimacy of laws, from the social contract to criteria for revolution, from the functions of everyday actions to the effects of...
.
Maria Ossowska
Maria Ossowska
Maria Ossowska was a Polish sociologist and social philosopher.-Life:...
and Stanisław Ossowski are considered to be among the founders of the field of "science of science" due to their authorship of a seminal 1935 paper entitled "The Science of Science."
His work "Class Structure in the Social Consciousness" addressed the very vexing problem (to the Communist idealogues of the Comintern) why it was that the most advanced economy of the time (the USA) was also the most vehement opponent of Communism, in direct opposition to central Marxist tenets. This work was undertaken in the Post-Stalin thaw in the late 1950's at potential severe risk to his own person and his family. The main thrust of the book (which was obscured by blanketing it with lengthy and unassailable Marxian analysis to protect himself), was that wage differentials in the USA could be explained by viewing the extra income over a base labouring job, as being a rent received for the intellectual capital that the worker possessed. Thus in an advanced economy with a very wide range of skills in the workforce, a wider division of labour would exist than that in a less advanced economy. The further conclusion was that all those receiving "rent" for their intellectual capital would inately, in Marxian terms, have "Petit Bourgeois" political and sociological allegiances. Thus the more advanced an economy was the less likely it would naturally be Communist, destroying the Marxist-Lenist conviction that Communism was the inevitable destination of an advancing economy.
A measure of the esteem with which he was regarded by his compatriots is best exemplified by the statue of him erected in Central Warsaw.
External links
- The Sociological Ideas of Stanislaw Ossowski, Journal of Classical Sociology, vol. 6, no. 3, 2006, pp. 283-309 (abstract)
- Class Structure in the Social Consciousness on Questia (New York, Free Press of Glencoe, 1963)