THE SOCIAL THEORIES OF TALCOTT PARSONS.
- ISSN: 00031224
Abstract
Sociology today has many burdens and not the least of these is a persistent and somewhat humiliating question of theoretical excursions of sociologist Talcott Parsons. The issue is not so much intellectual disagreement over contrasting views of man and society. It is rather a case of the "Emperor's clothes." The problem of arriving at a reasoned assessment of Parsons' thought is greatly complicated by a remarkable obscurity of structure and style. Even those accustomed to abstract philosophical discussion find it a considerable chore to decide what is being said on any page, let alone also to assess its intellectual worth. Under these conditions, the book "The Social Theories of Talcott Parsons: A Critical Examination," edited by Max Black, is a welcome contribution. A large part of the book is devoted to a restatement of Parsons' central ideas. In some essays, Parsons is involuntarily guided to analyze mechanisms of social control and socialization by which a social system manages to hold deviance in check and enlist motivations of its participants.
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