The ambivalence of social processes in sociological theory of Franco Crespi.

Generally speaking every sociological theory implies a critical dimension. Franco Crespi shows how the analysis and evaluation of social processes were always sustained by the perspective of an ideal society as a reference for criticising the social conditions of the time. With respect to the first most important interpretations of social reality, such as those developed by Comte, Marx and Spencer, Crespi says that a significant turn can be detected starting from Weber, Simmel and, particularly, Adorno. While the previous theories had a quite definite image of what society should be once solved its main contradictions, the second kind of theoretical models, although themselves implicitly inspired by some sort of an ideal image of society, seem progressively loosing any certainty as to the real possibility to reach the best form of society: they describe the present contradictions, but they do not perceive any ready solution for them. In this direction Crespi develops the theme of the authonomy of the individual subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]