The undoing of humanism : Peter L. Berger's sociology of unmasking
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Society
Publication Date
8-1-2013
Volume
50
Issue
4
First Page
379
Last Page
390
Keywords
Bolshevism, Debunking, French Revolution, Humanism, Sociology, Unmasking
Abstract
Over a long and prodigiously fertile academic career, Peter Berger's vision of sociology has consistently emphasized its debunking and unmasking properties. Such properties, Berger contends, are evidence of sociology's humanistic promise. Following a brief description of his early transition from The Precarious Vision (a sociological book addressed principally to Christians) to Invitation to Sociology (a text keyed to a mostly secular audience), Berger's idea of humanism is described. So, too, are the roles that debunking and unmasking play in its articulation. Debunking and unmasking, conflated by Berger, are then analytically distinguished, historically located, and criticized. Debunking, an American specialty, ridicules its targets but explains nothing. Unmasking, of European provenance, has pronounced anti-humanist - violent, denunciatory, coercive - tendencies, evidenced in both the French and Bolshevik Revolutions. Accordingly, any defense of unmasking that claims to uphold humanism requires major qualification. The article, as well as assessing Berger's humanism, employs it as an opportunity to think more broadly, and more critically, about the types of debunking/unmasking in modern life.
DOI
10.1007/s12115-013-9673-x
Print ISSN
01472011
E-ISSN
19364725
Publisher Statement
Copyright © Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2013
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Baehr, P. (2013). The undoing of humanism: Peter L. Berger's sociology of unmasking. Society, 50(4), 379-390. doi: 10.1007/s12115-013-9673-x