Feeling and Form in Social Life shows how a vigorous and practical science of society can be built. Drawing in part from the philosophy of Susanne Langer, Lloyd Sandelands reveals human societies to be forms of life known intuitively as feelings of a whole rather than as observed interactions of persons. These feelings, which are personal and subjective, are made public and objective by the uniquely human capacity for artistic abstraction. Through art, people turn invisible feelings and forms of society into visible objects and performances that can be shared and studied scientifically.

Part 1 Part I: Puzzles Chapter 2 Introduction Part 3 Part II: Life, Feeling, and Idea Chapter 4 Society Alive Chapter 5 The Feeling of Society Chapter 6 The Idea of Society Part 7 Part III: Society in Body and Art Chapter 8 Body and Society Chapter 9 A Turn to Art Part 10 Part IV: Art and Society Together Chapter 11 Art and Society in the Act Chapter 12 Art and Society Made Object Part 13 Part V: Promises Chapter 14 Toward a Social Science

Lloyd E. Sandelands is professor at the University of Michigan in the department of psychology and in the School of Business Administration. He is the author of many articles in the area of social psychology.