Abstract

This is an introduction to the book that Martin Krygier is accomplishing on Philip Selznick's thought. It is an appreciation in two senses: an estimation to comprehend the force of Selznick's work and a way to find worth in it. His works spans over sixty years, many subjects and several disciplinary domains, from general sociology to normative theory through sociology and philosophy of law. All his major works are richly layered, but at the same time they involve a distinctive sensibility which is both a matter of emotion and intellectual posture. Krygier identifies and discusses the remarkable stability of Selznick's core themes. Krygier underlines Selznik's determination to mix the concerns of empirical social research and moral philosophy and he states the necessity to study Selzninck's work holistically.