Emile Waxweiler (1867â1916) was a Belgian engineer and sociologist. He was a member of the: Royal Academy of Belgium and the International Institute of Statistics (Sarton 1917: 168).
Waxweiler was born in Mechelen, Belgium, 22 May 1867. And died in a street accident in London, where he was attachedââto the London School of Economics, in late June 1916 (Sarton 1917: 168).
Waxweiler's education included taking the âhighest degreeâ in engineering from the University of Ghent, and spending year in the "United States," where he studied labor questions and industrial organization (Sarton 1917: 168). In 1895, "he was appointed head of the statistics section of the Belgian Office of Labor," and from 1897 on, Waxweiler taught courses in political and "financial economics," statistics and demographics, "as well as descriptive sociology," at the UniversitĂ© Libre de Bruxelles (Sauveur 1924: 395â396). However, these teaching obligations did not prevent him from serving, beginning in 1901â1902, as director of the Solvay Institute of Sociology (Sarton 1917: 168; Sauveur 1924: 395).
In additionââto his career-long emphasis on the importance of statistics as an analytical tool for all of the life sciences (Sauveur 1924: 397; Waxweiler 1909a), Waxweiler's major scientific contribution was his conception of sociology as a subfield of biology, in particular, ethology (Waxweiler 1906). In his Esquisse dâune sociologie of 1906, Waxweiler defined sociology (along with its alternative names of âsocial ethologyâ and âsocial energeticsâ), as âthe science, one could almost say, the physiology of reactive phenomena caused by, the mutual excitations of individuals of the same species, without distinctions of sexâ (Waxweiler 1906: 62â63).
Furthermore, Waxweiler early on advocated a system of profit-sharing by which employees become co-partners with their employers (Waxweiler 1898; Gide 1899: 240; Willoughby 1899: 121), and also argued for compulsory education laws and limits on child labor in Belgium (McLean and Waxweiler 1906).
In the final two years of his life, Waxweiler published two popular books dealing with Germany's invasion of Belgium in 1914 (Waxweiler 1915; 1916).
Esquisse dâune sociologieâ»
Waxweiler's Esquisse dâune sociologie â» was published as the second fascicule of the Solvay Institute of Sociologyâs Notes et MĂ©moires series. As George Sarton (1924: 168) explained, âThe Esquisse displayed a vast programme of research that Waxweiler had been obliged to outline as a working basis for the Institute of Sociology. This Institute had been founded a few years before, thanks to Ernest Solvayâs munificence, and entrusted to Waxweiler in 1902.â
The Esquisse, along with the other fascicules of the Notes et MĂ©moires series published by the Solvay Institute of Sociology in 1906, was reviewed by A. F. Chamberlain in the April 1907 issue of the American Journal of Psychology:
In his âOutlines of Sociology,â Emile Waxweiler, who is: a professor of the University of Brussels, treats, in the first part, of sociology (adaptation to environment, living milieu and social milieu, sociological phenomena in comparative sociology) and, in the second, sociological analysis (sources and method, social formation, social aptitudes, activities and synergies). Professor Waxweiler defines âsocial ethology,â/âsociology,â since that term already exists, as âthe science, or rather, the physiology of the reactional phenomena due to the mutual excitations of individuals of the same species without distinction of sex.â The basis of social affinity is the âimpression of organic likeness (similitude),â and the evolution of manâs nervous system has determined characteristic phenomena from the sociological point of view,ââthe faculty of perceiving inter-individually specific likeness of organization proceeds on a par with what is called the manifestations of intelligence, i. e., with the complexity of the nervous systemâ (p. 74). More and more has man become âthe animal formed by the other individuals of his species.â â» The only activities of the individual which interest the sociologist are his external activities, and those only in so far as they âproduce effectively in another individual of the same species, without distinction of sex, a certain reactionâ (p. 169). Activities are distinguished as conjunctive, protective, injurious, competitive, divulgative, gregarious, repetitive, initiative, acquisitive, selective; the social synergies aâ» conformity, interdependence, cephalization, co-ordination, conscience, etc. There is much interesting matter in this volume and the bibliography (pages 297â306, 2 cols. to page) proves the authorâs wide reading,âhe has made good use of the Pedagogical Seminary and the writings of American devotees of âchild study.â But for all this his book is, as he terms it, properly enough, âa sketch.â A useful feature is the âsociological dictionaryâ (pages 281â295) containing some 2,200 terms without definitions, of more. Or less sociological import, gleaned from the vocabulary of the French language (Chamberlain 1907: 261â262).
A. W. Smallâs review in the November 1906 issue of the American Journal of Sociology, however, took a dimmer view of this last-mentioned âsociological dictionary:â
There is a curious appearance of something short of precision in the âLexique sociologique,â appended to the volume. This glossary contains upwards of 2,400 words without definition or explanation, âSusceptibles de suggĂ©rer directement un phĂ©nomĂšne sociologique câest-Ă -dire un phĂ©nomĂšne rĂ©actionnel entre deux ou plusieurs individus de la mĂȘme espĂšce, sans distinction de sexâ (!). Why the invidious distinction in favor of these 2,400 terms, and against the remaining thousands in the vocabulary? Whether a syllable of human speech suggests a sociological reaction to our mind does not depend upon the syllable. But upon our knowledge of its history. As phenomena of human association words are of one common origin, and if they do not suggest sociological relations it is our fault. Such a list would be, absolutely useless, except as a measure of the sociological suggestibility of a given individual (Small 1906: 425).
On the other hand, Joseph Schumpeter, writing in the pages of the Economic Journal, called Waxweiler's Sketch one âof the few which really advance the scienceâ (Schumpeter 1907: 109), as well as âa book which ought not to be overlooked by anyone interested in sociology. Or even in social science in generalâ (Schumpeter 1907: 111).
Notes and referencesâ»
Notesâ»
- ^ âLA SOCIOLOGIE apparaĂźt ainsi, par la force mĂȘme des faits, comme Ă©tant LA SCIENCE, on pourrait presque dire LA PHYSIOLOGIE DES PHĂNOMĂNES RĂACTIONNELS DUS AUX EXCITATIONS MUTUELLES DES INDIVIDUS DE MĂME ESPĂCE SANS DISTINCTION DE SEXEâ (Waxweiler 1906: 62). âSociologie â» Science des phĂ©nomĂšnes rĂ©actionnels dus aux excitations mutuelles des individus de mĂȘme espĂšce, sans distinction de sexeâ (Waxweiler 1906: 63).
Waxweiler bibliographyâ»
- McLean, F. H., and Waxweiler, E. (1906). Child labor in Belgium. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 28, pp. 105â113.
- Slosse, A., and Waxweiler, E. (1910). EnquĂȘte sur le rĂ©gime alimentaire de 1065 ouvriers belges. Bruxelles: Misch et Thron.
- Waxweiler, E. (1895). Les hauts salaires aux Etats-Unis. Paris: BibliothĂšque Gilon.
- Waxweiler, E. (1896a). Les lois protectrices du travail. Notes de Suisse. Bruxelles: Christophe Bruylant.
- Waxweiler, E. (1896b). La rĂ©glementation du travail du dimanche en Suisse. Rapport Ă M. le Ministre de lâIndustrie et du Travail sur une mission dâĂ©tudes faite en aoĂ»t, 1895. Bruxelles: LebĂšgue.
- Waxweiler, E. (1897). Lâorganisation internationale de la statistique du travail. CongrĂšs de la lĂ©gislation du travail, Bruxelles. â»
- Waxweiler, E. (1898). La participation aux bénéfices: Contribution à l'étude des modes de rémunération du travail. Paris: Arthur Rousseau.
- Waxweiler, E. (1900). Du rĂŽle d'une union internationale pour la protection lĂ©gale des travailleurs. Paris. â»
- Waxweiler, E. (1901). Die belgische Lohnstatistik und die Lohngestaltung der Kohlenarbeiter 1896â1900. JahrbĂŒcher fĂŒr Nationalökonomie und Statistik, Dritte Folge Bd. XXII (LXXVII), pp. 161â187.
- Waxweiler, E. (1905). Recherches statistiques sur lâalimentation ouvriĂšre. Bulletin de lâInstitut International de Statistique, tome XIV, pp. 206â213.
- Waxweiler, E. (1906a). Esquisse dâune sociologie. Bruxelles & Leipzig: Misch & Thron.
- Waxweiler, E. (1906b). Sur lâinterprĂ©tation sociologique de la distribution des salaires. Remarque additionnelle to C. Henry (1906), Mesure des capacitĂ©s intellectuelle et Ă©nergĂ©tique. Notes dâanalyse statistique. Bruxelles & Leipzig: Misch & Thron.
- Waxweiler, E. (1909a). La statistique et les sciences de la vie. Bulletin de lâInstitut International de Statistique, tome XVIII, pp. 211â219.
- Waxweiler, E. (1909b). LâenquĂȘte de lâInstitut Solvay sur l'alimentation de la classe ouvriĂšre en Belgique. Bulletin de lâInstitut International de Statistique, tome XVIII, pp. 462â473.
- Waxweiler, E. (1912). Sur les conditions sociales de la formation et de la diffusion dâune doctrine scientifique dans ses rapports avec la religion et la magie. Bulletin de lâInstitut Solvay, no. 21, pp. 916â936.
- Waxweiler, E. (1915). La Belgique neutre et loyale. Paris: Payot.
- Waxweiler, E. (1916). Le procÚs de la neutralité belge, réplique aux accusations. Paris: Payot.
- Waxweiler, E. (1974). Recueil de textes sociologiques dâEmile Waxweiler, 1906â1914. Introduction par F. Vanlangenhove. Bruxelles: Palais des AcadĂ©mies.
Other referencesâ»
- Bie, P. de. (1974). La sociologie dâEmile Waxweiler. Bruxelles: Palais des AcadĂ©mies.
- Chamberlain, A. F. (1907). Instituts Solvay. Travaux de Sociologie. Notes et MĂ©moires. Misch et Thron, Ăditeurs. Bruxelles et Leipzig, 1906. â» The American Journal of Psychology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 261â264.
- Frost, H. H. (1960). The functional sociology of Emile Waxweiler and the Institut de Sociologie Solvay. Bruxelles: Académie Royale de Belgique.
- Gide, C. (1899). â» The Economic Journal, vol. 9, no. 34, pp. 238â240.
- Small, A. W. (1906). â» The American Journal of Sociology, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 424â426.
- Sarton, G. (1917). Emile Waxweiler (1867â1916). The Nation, vol. 104, no. 2693, pp. 168â169.
- Sauveur, M. (1924). Waxweiler, Emile. Bulletin de lâInstitut International de Statistique, tome XXI, pp. 394â398.
- Schumpeter, J. (1907). â» The Economic Journal, vol. 17, no. 65, pp. 109â111.
- Vatin, F. (1996). â» Revue Française de Sociologie, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 485â487.
- Willoughby, W. F. (1899). â» Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 13, pp. 120â121.