摘要:This article presents some theoretical aspects of the debate between Gabriel Tarde and Émile Durkheim at the end of the 19th Century in France. The debate, which mobilized intellectual milieus from both sides, put face to face opposing standpoints related to subjects such as the concept of social solidarity, the value of science and its relationship to social values and objectives, the autonomy of sociology regarding psychology, and its role vis-à-vis specific social sciences. I conclude that these oppositions are related to different views of the intellectual world and its role in modern society.