Phenomenology of the Social World

Quoting from the backcover of my edition "In this book, his major work, Alfred Schutz attempts to provide a sound philosophical bases for the sociological theories of Max Weber [...] Using Husserlian phenomenology, Schutz provide a complete and original analysis of human action and its "intended meaning". [..] In the process he offers a possible answer to a fundamental question - whether the social sciences can provide genuine understanding of human beings" After having read it I can only agree with the above. In my opinion this is a masterpiece of social philosophy. The questions which this book touches upon are the ones always lurking in the back of every social scientist, namely the epistemological status of the science as such. The great thing about this book is that it, unlike any other I have read, manages to pinpoint this questions and sketch a possible answer to most of them. The book is, as the quote points out, based upon the phenomenology of Hussrl. Now, this might scare away many people familiar with the writings of Hussrl or Heidegger, but no need to worry. Upon its release in 1932 Schutz sent a dedicated copy of the book to Hussrl whom replied "I am anxious to meet such a serious and thorough phenomenologist, one of the few who have penetrated to the core of the meaning of my life's work, access to which is unfortunately so difficult .." This then is exactly what Schutz have managed, namely to produce an easy access/introduction to the profound thoughts of Hussrl. This book is written with great rigour, but without ever loosing clarity or direction. It reads easy for anyone customed to reading philosophical essays. The translation from german I think was very well done. The book will, for sure, require some intellectual effort from its reader, but when thinking about the great complex questions it manages to solve, this effort seem small in comparison. If I were a teacher of social sciences, I would make this mandatory reading at the higher levels.