This brilliant and original book sets out to dismantle the idea that movements, crises and other phenomena produced in society must be explained by exclusively social causes, without recourse to psychological explanations. The author argues that we should reassess the significance of psychological causes in human affairs.

Acknowledgements. Introduction: The Problem. Part I: Religion and Nature as the Origins of Society. 1. The Machine for the Creation of Gods. 2. Crimes and Punishments. 3. A Science Difficult to Name. Part II: The Power of the Idea. 4. Social 'Big Bangs'. 5. The Genius of Capitalism. 6. The Mana and the Numina. . Part III: One of the Greatest Mysteries in the World. . 7. The Science of Forms. 8. Money as Passion and as Representation. 9. The World that has Vanished. Concluding Remarks. Notes. Index.

This brilliant and original book sets out to dismantle the idea that movements, crises and other phenomena produced in society must be explained by exclusively social causes, without recourse to psychological explanations. Moscovici suggests that, although this idea is still prevalent in the social sciences today, it is in reality an outdated myth. The author argues that we should reassess the significance of psychological causes in human affairs. Whilst psychological causes are undoubtedly distinct from social causes, all social phenomena are events or facts brought about by human beings: it is their passions which stimulate their great political, religious and cultural creations. He discusses the work of Durkehim, Mauss, Weber and Simmel, and argues that only a productive interplay between psychology and sociology will do justice to the interdisciplinary character of their thought. Winner of the European Amalfi Prize for Sociology, The Invention of Sociology will be welcomed by students and researchers in sociology, social psychology, and the social sciences generally.