La scienza possibile: spiegazione e causalità in sociologia secondo J.H. Goldthorpe

This article reviews John H. Goldthorpe’s latest essay Sociology as a Population Science (2016). After outlining the main theses of the book, two major issues arising from the British sociologist’s proposal are discussed: the concept of causality and the boundaries of sociology. On the former, it is argued that Goldthorpe’s critique of the counterfactual approach in sociology is not convincing, particularly as concerns the issue of voluntarism in human social action. On the issue of the boundaries, it is maintained that Goldthorpe’s definition of sociology as a population science regards more its method rather than its substantive content. This leaves unanswered the question of how sociology can be distinguished from neighboring disciplines such as demography and economics, and what would be the mutual benefits from an alliance with them.