Ricerc@Sapienza

In every-day life there many social phenomena based on un-conditionality, disinterestedness, over abound. Such phenomena remain outside the field of explanation of approaches such as rational choice theory or neo-utilitarianism, being described as paradoxes of social action. Drawing from critical theories, we propose to (re)introduce the sociological concept of agape-love as a theoretical frame for those social mechanisms that elude reification, quantifiability, instrumental thinking. We present the case of “suspended goods” and read it with the look of agape.

The starting point of the paper is that social interaction is anchored in the world of practical logic (Bourdieu 2003). On this base, authors aim to demonstrate that love, before being an interpretative category, is a “practical knowledge” that can be observed in daily life of social actors. Two case studies support the analysis.