Het beeld der maatschappij

Samenvatting

An examination of 2 competing concepts of society. There are 2 main images of society: (1) a 'vertical' image, in which emphasis is placed on hierarchy, where all members of society have their place and classification; and (2) the 'litmus paper' image, which attempts to discover the criteria which determine the position of each member of society. Van Heck has been the leading Dutch representative of the 1st School, eg in his study of the city of Enschede; H. M. Jolles and G. Kuiper have criticized his 'vertical' image. 2 questions arise: (A) What is high and what is low? The solution lies in accepting the concept of inter-subjectivity (J. A. Ponsioen). (B) By what criteria are high and low recognized? This can best be answered by the concept of the polyhierarchical structure of society (J. A. A. van Doorn). It is concluded that the 'litmus paper' approach is likely to be more fruitful than the 'vertical' approach, with the concept of 'plurality of interhuman situations' of the German sociologist Pieper providing useful guidelines. I. Langnas.