This paper attempts to introduce the topic of thinking into current sociology and to raise the question whether a sociology of thinking might be possible and, if so, what such a sociology could look like. Thinking is typically seen as something intensely private and fleeting in nature, two qualities that make it resistant to sociology’s efforts to get a grip on it. Earlier attempts to make a sociological analysis of thinking are surveyed, from Durkheim over the sociology of knowledge to today’s sociology of ideas and other approaches. An argument is made that a sociology of thinking could get some important inspiration from philosophy, especially when it comes to topics to analyze and the setting of an agenda. To exemplify this argument, some writings on thinking by Kant, Kierkegaard, and Heidegger are presented. The paper ends with some reflections on the normative dimension of thinking and a sociology of thinking.
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