The Place of Aesthetics in the Theory Architecture of Bruno Latour and Georg Simmel.

Sociology as a discipline has always oscillated between literature and science between Humanities and Soccial Science. It has – from its very beginnings – been integrating thought traditions and research practices of cultural criticism or artistic criticism. The aim of this integration has always been to correct not only social-scientific thinking through art or aesthetics but also to rectify the development of society through art or the aesthetic. These traditions of thought that go back to Friedrich Schiller as a pioneer of cultural criticism seek to valorise sensuality against a perceived dominance of reason. Art and aesthetic is expected to holistically educate a human being alienated by the division of labour and political conditions. Practices of ›aisthanestai‹ – practices of feeling, perceiving, noticing, sensing, recognising, seeing and becoming aware of – as well as an increased attention and sensitivity for the object are valorised in this strand of sociological thinking and researching.
In my paper I will demonstrate how this program articulates itself in Bruno Latour’s thinking and how it implies – contrary to his own assertion – a certain elitism as well as totalitarian tendencies. In comparing Labour’s program with that of Georg Simmel, I will show that a sociological aesthetic does not necessary lead to these downfalls. In order to make my point I will investigate how and where aspects of aesthetic thinking are integrated in the architecture of both theories.