Intimations of Humanity and the Case for a Philosophical Sociology

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to examine central issues discussed by Daniel Chernilo in his Debating Humanity: Towards a Philosophical Sociology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017). To this end, the analysis is divided into two parts. The first part, in addition to giving a brief overview of the book’s thematic structure, considers some of its key arguments. The second part scrutinizes its most controversial aspects and highlights its principal limitations. By way of conclusion, the paper argues that Chernilo’s study is a powerful reminder of the fact that a truly comprehensive understanding of society requires a critical engagement with the concept of humanity.

Keywords: human nature, humanism, humanity, philosophical anthropology, philosophical sociology, posthumanism