A Dialectically Necessary Approach to the Sociological Understanding of Power and Real Interests 1

Understandably, because Alan Gewirth ² is a philosopher who situates his work in moral philosophy, and between the political stances of liberalism and communitarianism, much of the secondary commentaries on his work are philosophical or legal in nature. However, it is my contention in this chapter to argue that the import of Gewirth's work is central to the discipline of sociology. Whereas Stuart Toddington ³ demonstrates the indispensability of Gewirthian reasoning to concept formation in the social sciences, this chapter will argue that it is also essential to the understanding of the fundamental sociological concept of power.