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The sociological tradition of Hungarian philosophy

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Abstract

In this introductory paper I sketch the tradition, several early aspects of which are discussed in the following essays and reviews. I introduce the main figures whose work initiated and maintained the sociological orientation in Hungarian philosophy thereby tracing its evolution. I suggest that its sociological outlook, if taken to be a characteristic tendency that gives Hungarian philosophy its distinctive flavour, provides us with the framework of a possible narrative about the history of Hungarian philosophy in the broader context of Central European philosophy. This narrative, in turn, suggests a way of integrating the latter into the history of Western philosophy rather than restricting its scope to a handful of canonical works only.

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Acknowledgment

I am more than indebted to Edward Swiderski for the immense editorial work he invested into this collection.

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Correspondence to Tamás Demeter.

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Demeter, T. The sociological tradition of Hungarian philosophy. Stud East Eur Thought 60, 1–16 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11212-008-9043-1

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