Ideology and Social Science: Destutt de Tracy and French Liberalism

Abstract

1. Political and Intellectual Background.- Perspectives on Tracy and the ideologues.- Tracy's life and writings: an outline.- 2. Scientific Method and Ideology.- Science and certainty.- The concept of ideologie.- 3. Signs, Language, and the Critique of Metaphysics.- The science of signs.- Metaphysics and religion.- 4. Individuals and Social Relations.- Individual will as desire and action.- The bases of social existence.- 5. Social Morality and Civil Society.- Moral education and policing.- Legislation and instruction.- 6. Social Science and Public Policy.- Tracy's 'science sociale'.- Limits of social mathematics.- 7. Production and Economic Classes.- The creation of wealth.- Economic classes.- 8. The Problem of Economic Inequality.- 9. Liberal Politics and Elitism.- Enlightened democracy.- Critique of Montesquieu.- 10. Public Instruction and Ideology.- Ideological education.- Defence of the 'classe savante'.- 11. Conclusion: Social Science and Liberalism.