This book on the sociology of Innocenc Arnošt Bláha (1879–1960), the founder of sociology in Brno and one of the classic figures of Czech sociology, aims to answer three questions: What are we to make of the classics of sociology at the dawn of a new century? What is the role and significance of the sociologist I.A. Bláha, who was active during the First Republic, for the establishment of Czech sociology, and what are the fundaments of his conception? Is critique and evaluation of societal phenomena a legitimate part of scientific activities? The author concludes that it is Bláha’s sociological involvement that points to an enduring relevance of his sociology. This involvement is understood here as an attempt to revise naturalist positivist claims on sociology, and also as an important contribution to the issue of axioms of non-evaluative science, which have accompanied sociology from its very beginning.
