The application of philosophical hermeneutics to the sociological theory of intersubjectivity

The project is conceived as an interdisciplinary theoretical research on the border between philosophy and sociology with implications for the economic theory of action. Key objectives of the project are: a) analysing and linking up theories of intersubjectivity in modern (G. Simmel, A. Schütz, H. Blumer, E. Goffman) and contemporary sociology (J. Habermas, A. Giddens) b) applying selected concepts of philosophical hermeneutics (esp. H.-G. Gadamer and P. Ricoeur) to the sociological theory of intersubjectivity c) identifying implications of the analysis for the sociological and economic theory of action. On the one hand, the project will examine sociological theory in relation to contemporary hermeneutical theory of understanding on the other hand, it will represent an important supplement to the philosophical research on the relation between understanding and action, including the analyses of social interaction and collective action.