Inventing the Axial Age: The Origins and Uses of a Historical Concept

Theory and Society, 2013, DOI: 10.1007/s11186-013-9193-0

19 Pages Posted: 25 Mar 2013

See all articles by John D. Boy

John D. Boy

City University of New York (CUNY) - Department of Sociology

John Torpey

City University of New York (CUNY)

Date Written: March 24, 2013

Abstract

The concept of the axial age, initially proposed by the philosopher Karl Jaspers to refer to a period in the first millennium BCE that saw the rise of major religious and philosophical figures and ideas throughout Eurasia, has gained an established position in a number of fields, including historical sociology, cultural sociology, and the sociology of religion. We explore whether the notion of an “axial age” has historical and intellectual cogency, or whether the authors who use the label of a more free-floating “axiality” to connote varied “breakthroughs” in human experience may have a more compelling case. Throughout, we draw attention to ways in which uses of the axial age concept in contemporary social science vary in these and other respects. In the conclusion, we reflect on the value of the concept and its current uses and their utility in making sense of human experience.

Keywords: History of social thought, Civilizations, Axial Age, Axiality, Religion, Historical sociology, Cultural sociology

Suggested Citation

Boy, John D. and Torpey, John, Inventing the Axial Age: The Origins and Uses of a Historical Concept (March 24, 2013). Theory and Society, 2013, DOI: 10.1007/s11186-013-9193-0, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2239245

John D. Boy (Contact Author)

City University of New York (CUNY) - Department of Sociology ( email )

365 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10016
United States

John Torpey

City University of New York (CUNY) ( email )

695 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
United States

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