Introduction or preface

The article discusses the controversy between social facts in Durkheim's theory and explanations founded on a radicalized version of methodological individualism, based on cognitive neurosciences and genetic explanations. The variation of suicide rates is a theme that provides a good illustration of the two approaches. After reviewing Durkheim's inheritance and the main criticisms of his theory, the difference between etiological and morphological typologies is discussed. The theme of legitimacy is then examined from the different perspectives of the two approaches: in the first case, it depends on institutions on the basis of individuals' cognitive processes, in the second it is based on universal elements present in individuals' biological constitutions.