The Darwinian Weberian: W. G. Runciman and the Microfoundations of Historical Materialism

In: Historical materialism: research in critical marxist theory, Band 12, Heft 1, S. 71-95

Abstract

Critiques Runciman's Treatise on Social Theory (1989) in terms of (1) his effort to develop a social theory analogous to neo-Darwinian evolutionary biology & (2) the connection between his theory & a version of historical materialism based on competitive primacy. Runciman's so-called "Compact Statement" regarding his social theory is provided & explicated; his Darwinian views of the macroscopic distribution of social types & Mendelian analysis of the microfoundations of social reproduction & social change are then addressed. It is suggested here that Runciman deems it allowable to postulate directedness in history, but only if the direction is inferred from the historical record & not presupposed; & that history's direction is related as a matter of fact to a growing intensity in material resource use & to systematic changes in the primary locus for the exercise of power. The concept of power is then situated vis-a-vis concepts of practice, role, & institution; relationships among those ideas are then considered. Runciman's axiom that practices are the social DNA, ie, the impetus behind social reproduction & social change, is then rejected, arguing that the most plausible replicator is the set of social expectations surrounding the performance of a role. Thus, the power key to social reproduction spreads social expectations required for role performance. Reproductive success depends on the degree to which the exercise of power contributes to the propagation of social expectations in competition with others. Runciman's take on long-run historical trends is viewed as consistent with historical materialism. He seems to have taken a "Weberian route" toward that end; however, he fails to provide test cases for his explanatory theory & lacks the doctrine of competitive primacy. In addition, the causal arrangement of his theory & his over-reliance on social power are deemed problematic. 13 References. J. Zendejas