Sociology 2240E Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Singular (Software), George Herbert Mead
Document Summary
Relevance: offers us a way to understand the agency/structure problem that giddens dealt with, extends weber"s logic on the issue of meaning (esp. where it comes from) He discusses the foundations/origins of meaning thus shedding light on agency. Agency: the aspects of it (i. e. autonomy, individuality, intention) cannot be understood except in relation to relationships. We can only be individuals b/c of our relationships with others: wants us to be moral/ethical. Doesn"t tell us how to be (doesn"t explain what the moral is) Doesn"t explain why we should want to be moral. Unit of analysis for mead is the act (actually the inter-act) Gestures stimulus-response actions, may have intended meanings but if they"re not shared with the receiver they may just be stimuli. Symbols must have intentions (pre-act meanings) and you must know that you exist and that others see you (i. e. you know that you"re an object needed for intentions to exist)