Bio : (1934-2013) French sociologist. Raymond Boudon taught sociology at the Sorbonne. Boudon was one of the main proponents of methodological individualism. According to Boudon, the focus of sociology should be the structure of the system of interaction. The basic atom of sociological analysis is the individual actor who operates within the wider social and institutional environment. Individual actors are not just people, but every collective unit that has the power of collective action. Although one part of the actions of the actors is based on the coercion of external elements, which that actor must accept as given, his behavior is not only a consequence of that coercion.

The relationship of causality between the system of interaction and the behavior of an individual can be understood only if the behavior is viewed as a purposeful action. In this sense, Boudon develops a utilitarian conception of action. However, his understanding of the rationality of the actors is limited. Sociology should abandon the vision of homo economicus because the behavior of individuals is never directed by perfect utilitarian rationality. The behavior of homo sociologicus, which is the counterpart of homo economicus, is also shaped by internalized habits and values. Although people act within social roles, they always retain some room for maneuvering. Besides, the rationality of people is never perfect. All this leads him to the conclusion that sociology should focus on the intentions of the actor, and not attribute perfect rationality to him.

In the book Education, Opportunity and Social Inequality (1973) Boudon explores the interplay between social inequality and the chances of achieving higher education. He applies his theory of rational action to the choices that students make when choosing an educational direction, as well as the length of schooling, and thus arrives at a theory he calls "positional theory." The primary effects of stratification relate to the different subcultural values ​​that exist in different classes. The secondary effects of stratification are the very positions (within social stratification) from which students begin schooling. Children from different classes will not achieve the same rise or fall on the stratification ladder by choosing the same occupation. Children from the working class can achieve social progress by choosing a professional occupation, while children from the upper middle class will experience a social decline with this choice.

Related to this rational choice are the different expectations of parents from different classes. Another factor that limits choices in schooling is the relationship of solidarity with family and peers. Children will be less likely to choose a type of education that will distance them from family and peers. Boudon found that the length of schooling is also affected by the number of educational levels that exist in an education system, that is, the number of places where children can decide to drop out of school. The greater the number of such places of decision (crossroads), the more pronounced will be the inequality of opportunities in education. Children behave rationally because they always estimate how much some choice of educational profile will bring them harm, and how much it will benefit them.

Main works

A quoi sert la notion de Structure? (1968);

L'inégalité des chances (1973);

Effets pervers et ordre social (1977); 

La logique du social (1979);

La place du désordre: critique des théories du changement social (1984);

L'idéologie ou L'origine des idées reçues (1986);

L'art de se persuader, des idées douteuses, fragiles ou fausses (1990);

Traité de sociologie (1992);

The Origin of Values: Sociology and Philosophy of Beliefs (2001);

Déclin de la morale? Déclin des Valeurs? (2002);

La sociologie comme science (2010).

Works translated into English:

The Uses of Structuralism (1971, in French 1968);

Education, Opportunity and Social Inequality (1974, in French 1973);

The Logic of Social Action (1981, in French 1979);

Theories of Social Change (1986, in French 1984);

The Analysis of Ideology (1989, in French 1986);

The Art of Self-Persuasion: The Social Explanation of False Beliefs (1994, in French 1990).