Methodological Singularism in Raymond Boudon’s Sociology: Theoretical Foundation for the Realistic Elucidation of Social Phenomena

Raymond Boudon’s approach to social analysis rests on theoretical principles he originally adapted from the work of key thinkers of the 19 th and 20 th centuries. In particular, he argued that the principle of “methodological singularism”, a notion borrowed from Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, constitutes a necessary condition for the explanation of social scientific enigmas. This article seeks to highlight the role played by methodological singularism in the social sciences as expressed in Boudon’s rationalist paradigm. The first section retraces the origins of the principle in the work of Austrian school economists such as Carl Menger, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk, and Ludwig von Mises. The second section focuses on Boudon’s very own understanding of this principle and on the place it takes within his sociology. Overall, this article contributes to our understanding of epistemological and methodological history in the social sciences as well as to our understanding of social theory.