Abstract :
In this study, some theses about modernity, which is the main research object of sociology, will
be discussed. Not all theses on modernity will be discussed. Because within the bounds of such
an article, it is not possible to express all the discussions about modernity in the literature. In
this paper we will try to sum up two theses on modernity in sociological context. After
evaluating the historical and etymologic origin of the concept of modernity, the first of the
discussions we will approach is about the fact that modernity symbolizes a break from the past
and that it is unique. For the first discussion in this study, the views of two thinkers, Jürgen
Habermas and Hans Blumenberg, will be expressed. The second thesis on modernity argues
modernity’s continuity with the past and its historicity. The views of some of the thinkers who
defended the latter will also be discussed. These thinkers are Karl Löwith, Jacob Taubes, Carl
Schmitt, Eric Voegelin and Michael Gillespie, respectively. As sociologist Giddens has said,
“sociology is the science of modernity”. In this context, theses on modernity, and essence of
modernity set a theoretical and intellectual framework for today's sociologist's research on
society. Therefore, at the end of the study, the contribution of philosophical debates on
modernity to sociology will be evaluated additionally.
Keyword :
Sociology Modernity Break Continuity Gnosticism