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This book illustrates the applicability of the seminal and controversial metaphor of the «invisible hand» in modern sociological theory. It shows that sociologists have long been part of a field mainly associated with economists and political philosophers. Though unlike the framing that builds directly on Adam Smith, sociological theory focuses on undesirable and perverse outcomes. Furthermore, the sociological angle favors the explanation of invisible hand-like mechanisms as contingent upon social structures and broader processes. Thus, it goes beyond its classical formulation in terms of interdependence, interaction and aggregation of individual actions. This book gathers contributions of remarkable authors who are linked directly either with the invisible hand metaphor, with the spontaneous order phenomenon or with the unintended consequences issue and aims to describe the traditional and contemporary applicability of the sociological framing of the invisible hand for social sciences.

The way sociology frames the relation between formality and informality is not only complex and multifaceted, but has also evolved over time. This volume offers contributions by international authors that illustrate distinct types of theoretical framings and present various sites of inquiry. It proposes a typology comprising: the sociology of informally embedded formality, the sociology of formally embedded informality, the sociology of the interaction between formality and informality and the sociology of the emergence and transformation of formality and informality.

This collection of essays aims to revive the sociological debate on the unintended, unanticipated and unexpected consequences of social action, as started by Robert K. Merton in a classic study of 1936. The contributing authors provide insights on both Merton's work and the reception it received in the academia. They also go beyond his original formulations to encompass new theoretical perspectives and empirical interests that have emerged in the intellectual circumstances different from, or opposed to, his functionalist theory. The contributing authors delve into fields as diverse as education, law, politics, financial markets, consumption, risks and accidents, systemic transformation, organizations and institutional work, innovations, and Polish studies.

This book is an attempt to investigate the mechanisms governing the evolution of scandals over mass protests in communist Romania. It could also be framed as a study of the social-psychology of regime preservation. The main inquiry presented herein deals with the manner in which Romanian communist authorities framed acts of mass protest. The author investigates the shaming practices and the ritualization of the party moots on mass protests which followed the outburst of such like scandals. The book puts forth a hypothesis, that the dynamics of these processes are determined by the unfolding and outcome of three phenomena: the attribution of fault, the admittance of guilt/fault and – to a certain extent – the moot bullying.

In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence and big data analysis has become increasingly common, including in areas related to security and cybersecurity. The use of artificial intelligence and advanced big data analysis tools has enabled new critical perspectives on many different areas of the world around us. The purpose of this volume is to present the perspectives of researchers, experts and scientists, who are concerned with the problem of the distortion of reality by the authors of false narratives.The book focuses primarily on security matters, issues demanded by the international political and economic situation. Disinformation is a tool of hybrid war, shaping the social and economic environment long before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since February 2022, the issues of post-truth, fake news, and disinformation have taken on additional gravity.

Explore the intricate tapestry of memory and heritage in Eastern Europe with this compelling collection of scholarly articles. From the politicization of historical events in post-communist Hungary to the dynamics of urban cultural policy in Polish cities, these essays offer diverse perspectives on commemorating pivotal moments and figures. Delve into the complexities of memory politics, from the manipulation of historical narratives for political agendas to the challenges of maintaining national identity in diaspora communities. Gain valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of heritage and memory, and the importance of embracing complexity in understanding the history and politics of Eastern Europe. This book is essential reading for scholars, students, and anyone interested in exploring the rich cultural landscape of the region.

Volume III of Archerian Studies, which we now deliver to our readers, focuses on the question of culture. Despite the numerous motifs which were introduced to the discourse pertaining to Margaret S. Archer's concept, we see that some repeat here constantly. We hope that this way of depicting considerations inspired by the thought of prominent scholars will not only become an occasion for this scientific literary output to become widespread, but will also open new research perspectives in sociology.

This volume explores the various ‘labyrinths'of Leibniz's philosophy, that is, hard-to-solve problems in which the human mind becomes entangled. Although the Hanoverian explicitly distinguished two such labyrinths (freedom and continuum), one may notice that in his theory there are more intricate issues the thinker can resolve with the help of the ‘Ariadne's thread'– a certain principle to be followed by the reflecting mind. In the perspective of the mazes of theodicy, consciousness and absolute and relative differences, the authors try to unravel issues such as: the etymology of ‘theodicée', the concepts of freedom and metaphysical evil, the reception of monadology by Olivier Sacks, the understanding of ‘panpsychism', the similarity between jurisprudence and theology, and many others.

The subject of the monograph is a multi-layered interpretation of beauty in architecture, the analysis of key ideas, attitudes, and concepts related to the art of shaping space focused on perfection and harmony. An integral approach to significant problems related to shaping the spatial order, taking into account a wide range of social, cultural, aesthetic, and environmental factors related to the beauty and harmony of a place, is a distinctive feature of the monograph. The statements of many theoreticians and practitioners of architecture from Poland and abroad, emphasize the beauty in architecture as an important feature of human surroundings. Architecture, apart from the features of utility and the required technical correctness, should lead to delight, deep reflection, and emotion.

The author of this book formulates a general thesis that in the academic culture, since the emergence of the first universities until this very day, two types of that culture have competed with each other, i.e., a corporate and templar one. In his remarks, the author tries to highlight it through the presentation of: 1. The functioning of academia in different time periods, 2. The beliefs of scholars, 3. The ways scholarly achievements have been evaluated, 4. The legal acts for science and academia. A considerable part of this study is devoted to the analysis of the Polish academic culture, including the attempts of adjusting the existing standards of conducting research and educating students to the ones prevailing in the leading Western countries.

The book is a scientific monograph, based on a natural experiment on cognitive, emotional and social functioning during the year-long isolation of 21 winter hounds at the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station. The conducted research was of a specimen and sociometric nature. The results presented in the book are unique in the literature on the subject due to the longitudinal nature of the research conducted, together with its high frequency (every two weeks). Moreover, the social isolation was total in its character, due to the large limitation of connectivity with the outside world, which could be considered analogous to future long-term space missions.

Este volumen posee una estructura doble, que enfoca en primer lugar el carácter inacabado de la teoría cosmopolita de Kant, con el propósito de propiciar nuevas vías de construcción política multilateral para desarrollar la globalidad jurídica desde una conciencia postcolonial. En segundo lugar, los trabajos dibujan los ejes de lo que los editores hemos decidido calificar —en un guiño weberiano— el ethos del republicanismo cosmopolita kantiano, para el que sirven precisamente de orientación aparentes zonas vulnerables de la sistematicidad jurídico-política, como es el caso de la falibilidad moral, el conflicto fáctico de intereses entre sujetos y la exigencia de generar instituciones justas que permitan garantizar un futuro sostenible.

This book focuses on the question of relationality. Despite the numerous motifs introduced to the discourse pertaining to Margaret S. Archer's concept, we notice that some often reappear. What frequently appears is the concept of agency, closely related to the matter of the subject's reflexivity. We also include papers that refer to methodological dilemmas. However, all collected texts directly consider the essence of the concept of the human person and society in reaction to the ontology of the person proposed by Archer. The common thread and horizon of these elaborations is Archer's concept and Pierpaolo Donati's relational sociology. Thus, this publication seeks to gain broader public and open new research perspectives in sociology.

The author of the book discusses the essence and social consequences of the postmodern era in the field of psychology of work and technology. He describes the relationship between the human being and the goals achieved through the use of technical tools, which is of interest to the industrial and engineering psychology. The second chapter provides a detailed classification of operator-machine system models: technocentric, anthropocentric, and operator–machine interface. In the third chapter, the author focuses on psychological characteristics of the operator–machine–interface system based on the example of jet plane pilot's activity. The fourth chapter focuses on learning new operator activities and training of operator's action in comprehensive simulators as analogues of work experience. In the fifth chapter the author examines occupational safety and reliability of the operator-machine system. In the sixth chapter, the author discusses the computer as a virtual operator serving the optimization of the quality of life.

Many factors have impact on the development of inclusive education, including social, cultural, economic context and the advancement of educational sciences. Analysing and comparing these issues provides a basis for understanding the problems of inclusion of learners with disabilities in mainstream education. The book familiarises readers with the historical and cultural conditions for the development of inclusive education. It presents concepts and everyday practices (financing, preparation of teachers and institutions). The book also takes a challenge to discuss the development prospects of inclusive education. The structure of the book allows for comparing the situation of learners with disability and the structural solutions of inclusive education in the countries of the study.

The book is a journal that presents narrations and factual accounts of events covering 144 days the author spent during the Third Scientific Expedition of the Polish Academy of Sciences to the Arctowski Station on King George Island (South Shetland Islands). The observations comprise events and behaviors in daily life situations of a team of Polish polar explorers. A valuable source of knowledge for empirical psychology on the behavior of people in extreme conditions, the book describes symptoms that form the winter-over syndrome. The “winter-over syndrome” may be predicted by analogous effects of space isolation, especially in long-term space missions, like an expedition to Mars. Hence, this book is an important scientific and civilizational event in the era of space exploration.

Dieses Buch ist eine Sammlung der erstmalig publizierten Mitschriften Roman Witold Ingardens von den Vorlesungen über die Phänomenologische Interpretation von Kants Kritik der reinen Vernunft, die von Martin Heidegger im Wintersemester 1927/28 in Marburg gehalten wurden. Die Mitschriften wurden von den Herausgebern dieses Bandes während einer Recherche im Familienarchiv von Roman Witold Ingarden in Krakau entdeckt, abgeschrieben und anschließend wissenschaftlich bearbeitet.

This monograph is the first book in medical sociology that comprehensively describes the research conceptions of the co-founder of the European medical sociology, Professor Magdalena Sokołowska (1922–1989). The study characterizes the stages of formation of the scientific foundations of medical sociology in Europe: the evolution of approach to the phenomena of health and illness from the medical to sociological perspective, the development of feminist studies in medical sociology, the emergence of scientific identity of the subdiscipline, models of interdisciplinary studies on health, and research into complementary and alternative medicine.

The author of this book speaks out again in regard to the Enlightenment. His inspiration comes not only from new observations occasioned by own studies, but also from the recently read material as well as opinions and appraisals of the era articulated lately at academic conferences. Although they have not led the author to perform a fundamental revision of his views in regard to the nature of Enlightenment and its crucial contributions to the Western culture, they did afford a better understanding of its complexity. They also made him more aware that his interpretation and presentation of that era depends considerably on what its prominent representatives had to say, as well as on the worldview-based assumptions and methods of appraisal adopted by its later observers and interpreters.

The book contains analyses and interpretations of multidimensional perspectives in philosophical, economical and psychological research on imagination. The authors analyse Russian (N. Bierdiajew) and French philosophy and anthropology (G. Bachelard, G. Durand), German conceptions (I. Kant's, F. Baader's, F. Schiller's or Heideggerian interpretations) of the role of imagination in art, science and sociopolitical domains. Image and imagination play the main role in the contemporary social world. It is investigated by psychology, sociology and political sciences, and many subdisciplines of philosophy have their own traditions in approaches to image and imagination problem. The authors try to integrate the results of these research efforts.

If we want to understand the vicissitudes of modern democracy then, argues the author, we need to analyse the ideas upon which representative government is based rather than compare contemporary conditions with the Greek ideal. These principal ideas have been presented clearly in past centuries, when the relation between democracy and representation was still a matter of political judgement. The old masters of political thinking clarified the functions of representation: legitimising power, creating sovereignty but also setting its limits, and pursuing the common good while still reflecting social diversity. Because institutions of representation are expected to fulfil a variety of functions, these institutions have in recent times come under attack for standing in the way of radical programs for democratising democracy. The author of this book reminds us that these functions are necessary in every political order, whether democratic or not. Instead of rejecting representation, political theorists should focus on making government more accountable.

Dans ce que l'auteur de ce livre dit au sujet de la république des savants, il tente d'éviter le pathos que l'on rencontre non seulement sur les pages hagiographiques, mais aussi dans des discours de circonstance ou celui de louange (par exemple, ceux qu'on prononce à toutes sortes d'anniversaires et enterrements). Cela justifie le titre choisi : sans révérence. Cependant, dans la vie universitaire, il existe des situations où un pathos spécifique est non seulement indiqué, mais également attendu, et son absence pourrait témoigner d'un manque de savoir-être universitaire. Le but de ces considérations n'est pas de diminuer la valeur de ce qui, en vérité, n'apparaît pas aussi grand qu'on ne le pense, mais personne ne souhaite qu'on lui rappelle ses plus grandes faiblesses. Cependant, rappeler celles qui sont plus légères est nécessaire pour éviter la surestime de soi.

El objetivo de este libro es presentar la idea de la política como realización en José Ortega y Gasset. Según el filósofo español, la'realización'supone un'imperativo supremo'que define el campo de la política y que lo diferencia de la ciencia. Mientras esta última, por su carácter reflexivo, puede contener ciertos elementos utópicos, como: el pensamiento more geométrico, racionalismo o idealismo, así la política no puede permitirse una pura contemplación o permanecer en el mundo de ideas puras ni su perfeccionamiento en la mente, sino tiene que realizarlas, darles cuerpo en el acto de actuar, o sea, referirse a las cosas mismas.

This book aims to provide empirical evidence regarding the consequences of changes in European societies, focussing on migration and related phenomena of discrimination and xenophobia. The comparative analyses cover all countries of the European Social Survey in the period 2002–2014. They reveal that native members of so-called vulnerable groups, such as the unemployed, retired, permanently sick or disabled and the elderly, were more likely to experience threats and to exhibit anti-immigration attitudes. The contributors further examine social openness defined in terms of marital homogamy, social trust in the context of legitimization and social conditions of sleeplessness. A final methodological section presents the results of a mixed mode experiment involving the face-to-face mode.

This study critically discusses the thesis on the sociological vacuum formulated by Stefan Nowak. The author's aim is to refute the claim that the sociological vacuum is relevant for major social processes occurring in Poland. He presents the sociological vacuum in the context of the debate on micro and macro levels and discusses how the theory of fields and social network analysis is useful to reconcile the micro-macro divide. The book considers the uses of the sociological vacuum in explaining such phenomena as the Solidarność social movement, civil society, social capital, and democracy. In the empirical part, the author confronts the data on identifications with the data on relations and claims that the vacuum is not in the society but it in sociology.

This book refers to the question of cultural normativity. The texts of the book present the diverse profiles of cultural normativity: from philosophical assumptions and indications relating to the sources of axiology and normativity in general to analyses of selected examples of social practices and the reconstruction of declared or presupposed kinds of cultural normativity. The authors evaluate the distinction between normativity and normativeness as a state of norms, they describe the relationships between cultural normativity and ethics. This issue is particularly important with regard to the 20th-century criticism of essentialism, the primacy of the culturalist position in humanities and the importance of the concept of difference in social sciences.

Hate Narratives examines the limits of free speech and focuses on the role of language in creating images of reality, and on language's power to build social relationships based on hatred. The study provides an analysis of language used in totalitarian systems, along with a particular kind of narrative description, namely dogmatic hate narratives, which are used in democratic systems as well. It focuses on the notion that the media and other sources of information create «parallel realities», and that facts created by media are translated into social fact. Central to this line of thought are the determinants by which an individual chooses from among the various broadcasted images of reality.

This book takes stock of opinion polls in communist and post-communist states, presents specific case studies and answers the question how opinion polls under conditions of censorship and lack of media pluralism differ from those in liberal democratic societies. These polls were mostly used by the ruling establishment to observe shifts in popular opinion and to anticipate protests. They were hardly presented publicly to inform citizens about the prevailing views in their society. Today, these polls often display stories about everyday life, opinion shifts and the legitimacy of state institutions which cannot be derived from other sources.

Central-Eastern Europe, in the mid-20th century, was a scene of Holocaust, mass killings, war, deportations and forced resettlements under the competing totalitarian invasions and afterwards. It was also the area where churches, politicians and citizens were engaged in reconciliation between antagonized religions and nations. This book presents several attempts to heal relations between Poles, Jews, Germans, Czechs, Ukrainians, Russians and Latvians as well as between Catholics, Protestants and Mariavites. Re-conciliatory practices of John Paul II and other Catholic leaders as well as Protestant churches are analysed in the first part of the book. Most of the remaining studies are focused on particular localities in Upper Silesia, Cieszyn Silesia, former Polish Livland and on the Polish-Ukrainian borderland. These detailed contributions combine sociological methods with anthropological insight and historical context. The authors are sociologists, psychologists and theologians and this leads to a fully interdisciplinary approach in the assessment of the recent state of inter-group relations in the region as well as in the proposed theory of peacebuilding and reconciliation.

This book examines the intertwined relationship between contemporary Polish politics and national culture by focusing on the phenomenon of discrimination. The object of the analysis is the language of the League of Polish Families, a populist party that recreated the climate of pre-war National Democracy in Poland from 2001 to 2007 by negatively labeling the nation's Others. Through the political party's discourse of discrimination, the book grasps a peculiar moment of Poland that faced uncertainty of identity upon its accession to the European Union. By adopting a method of critical discourse analysis, the author attests to the party's political use of different layers of national traditions in denigrating Jews, sexual minorities and feminists while sanctifying the Polish nation.