Diagnosing Social Pathology

"This chapter offers some preliminary thoughts about the general concept of social pathology and its usefulness for social philosophy. The first section distinguishes five conceptions of social illness that differ from the one I endorse in this book. Following that I discuss various advantages and disadvantages of the concept of social pathology. Finally, analyzing a little-known example of Rousseau's I illustrate various possible features of a sick society that help to illustrate how that concept aids us in understanding and evaluating social reality"--