Power, Regulation, and Social Order in the Intersection of Political and Social Theory

Abstract

With the aim to facilitate a debate between social and political theory for a better understanding of the societal totality, this chapter probes the ways to understand power, regulation, and social order. It starts from the morally laden conceptions of political theory in the Antiquity and then proceeds from the political theory of early modernity to the emergence of the three basic social sciences, i.e., sociology, political science, and economics. It turns out that most power conceptions have been negative and centered on influence but there are some rare exceptions of which the chapter discusses on those of Marx, Parsons, Foucault, and Mann. The canon of current social theory, i.e., Habermas, Giddens, and Bourdieu is also discussed from the perspective of positive power. A section with two examples of substantive study of power and regulation in the intersection of political and social theory dealing with the notions of hegemony and governance follows. Finally, the Conclusion lists what has been achieved thus far in the attempt to build a bridge between political and social theory and ends up with a call for continuation of the debate to overcome fragmentation in the study of society.