Categories of Historical Existence

FAIN: FB-10484-70

George Allan
Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA 17013-2896)

Development of a theory of human action, focusing on themes of need, abundance, purpose and struggle--their interplay and the dilemmas thereby generated. Theory rooted in philosophies of Whitehead and Sartre and social theories of Marx, Croce, Pareto, Max Weber. Theory to function as useful tool in attempt to comprehend such instances of human interaction as African liberation movements and "New Left" politics. Everyone perceives his world in terms of categories of change, and shapes his actions and emotional responses in terms of this perception. The framing of philosophical categories is an endeavor to create an explanatory model for interpreting the significance of our experience; both what we experience and how we experience it. The social sciences tend to limit themselves to describing human interaction. The philosophical theory seeks to understand the meaning of such descriptions and to expose the assumptions supporting them. Theory is expansion of previous article by fellow (Soundings, 1968) and lectures for undergraduate course in social philosophy.