The Mouvement anti-utilitariste dans les sciences
sociales (Anti-utilitarian Movement in the
Social Sciences) is a French intellectual
movement.
It is based around the ideology of "anti-utilitarianism",
a critique of economism in social sciences
and instrumental rationalism in moral and
political philosophy.
The movement was founded in 1981 by sociologist
Alain Caillé, with the establishment of its
interdisciplinary monthly journal Revue du
MAUSS which is still published and edited
by Caillé.
The journal covers topics in economics, anthropology,
sociology and political philosophy from an
anti-utilitarian perspective.
His name is both an acronym and a tribute
to the famous anthropologist Marcel Mauss.
The movement works to promote a third paradigm,
as a complement to, or replacement for holism
and methodological individualism.The movement
began through conversations between Caillé
and Swiss anthropologist Gerald Berthoud wondering
why the economic theory of Marcel Mauss based
on obligatory reciprocity and debt did not
provide any possibilities of a "free gift"
motivated by empathy rather than rational
self-interest.
The movement's early efforts considered the
possibility of reintroducing an aspect of
genuine interest in the welfare of others
in economic theory.
Among the economic policies suggested by the
movement is the basic income guarantee a concept
originally developed by Thomas Paine.
== Some regular contributors to the journal
==
Paul Jorion
Paul Ariès
Genevieve Azam
Gerald Berthoud
Alain Caillé
Philippe Chanial
Jacques Dewitte
Mary Douglas
Denis Duclos
Jean-Pierre Dupuy
Michael Freitag
Marcel Gauchet
Philippe d'Iribarne
Stephen Kalberg
Serge Latouche
Louis Maitrier
Jean-Claude Michea
Thierry Paquot
Lucien Scubla
Camille Tarot
Frederic Vandenberghe
Raoul Vaneigem
Jean-Pierre Voyer
