External analogies in social and philosophical knowledge: prospects and limitations of the approach

Abstract

The subject of research concerns the social models which are constructed by using external analogies. External social analogies imply a reference to an object that is studied within the framework of a science being external to social knowledge (biology, physics, psychology, etc.). Specifically, biological (organic), biomechanical, as well as psychological and psychoanalytic varieties are analyzed. Biological analogies are represented by the models of H. Spencer and Yu. I. Semenov. Biomechanical models include the concepts of Th. Hobbes, J. O. de La Mettrie, É. Durkheim, N. I. Kareev and A. Fouillée. External psychological and psychoanalytic analogies are approached in the works of G. Tarde, S. Freud, E. Fromm, G. Deleuze and F. Guattari. Particular attention is paid to critical remarks regarding these concepts, which determines the limitations of the considered method. Classification of existing socio-philosophical models is used as method in the research. Classification criterion is the type of external analogies that is used in the construction of these concepts. As a result, prospects and limitations of the considered method were identified. Namely, the effectiveness of external analogies in social and philosophical research objectively depends on how well this “external” science itself corresponds to reality. The other side of the problem lies in the abuse of analogies themselves: introduction of excessive terminology, speculative parallelisms, misusage of special scientific terms, which ultimately leads to difficulties in understanding the social and philosophical model itself. At the same time, the following prospects of the considered method are pointed out. Firstly, in the case of emergence of a new science or revolution in the domain of existing one, their objects or results could be used as sources for external analogies in the construction of a new social model. Secondly, existing external social analogies could be reused in other fields of knowledge.