Talcott Parsons and the Social Image of Man (RLE Social Theory)
Talcott Parsons and the Social Image of Man (RLE Social Theory)

Author: Ken Menzies

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-21

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1317650549

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This account of Talcott Parsons’s work clarifies his basic concepts and sets out their correlation. Dr Menzies believes that the philosophy of science working within the confines of the analytic-synthetic distinction tends to provide a rigid, static and sterile account of theories. He presents a more dynamic account of the scientific enterprise in order to come to grips with the amorphous nature of theory, and to provide the basic framework for his analysis of Parsons. Menzies argues that Parsons’s central problematic in The Structure of Social Action is utilitarianism in general and the classical economists’ account of the rise of capitalism in particular, and as such the book is not a reconciliation of positivistic and idealistic elements and these run throughout his subsequent work. Two major strands in Parsons’s work – the social action theory and the systems theory (structural-functionalism) – are separated and examined individually.

Talcott Parsons on Economy and Society (RLE Social Theory)
Talcott Parsons on Economy and Society (RLE Social Theory)

Author: Bryan S. Turner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-27

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 1317652266

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'In this remarkable collection of essays, Holton and Turner demonstrate that Parsonian sociology addresses the most central problems of our time – issues of sickness and health, power and inequality, the nature of capitalism and its possible alternatives. They develop a mature and original perspective on Parsons as the only classical theorist who avoided crippling nostalgia. Holton and Turner not only talk about Parsonian sociology in a profound and insightful way, they do it, and do it well. As sociology moves away from the rigid dichotomies of earlier debate, this book will help point the way.' – Jeffrey Alexander, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology, UCLA

Key Thinkers, Past and Present (RLE Social Theory)
Key Thinkers, Past and Present (RLE Social Theory)

Author: Jessica Kuper

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-09-04

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1317651669

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This volume provides a fascinating perspective on the social sciences through its examination of the leading proponents, their ideas and careers. It includes useful suggestions for further reading. All the great names in the history of the subject are here – Freud, Marx, Weber, Adam Smith and so on – along with many less prominent but nevertheless important thinkers.

Sociological Theory in Use (RLE Social Theory)
Sociological Theory in Use (RLE Social Theory)

Author: Kenneth Menzies

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-21

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1317657195

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Central to most sociologists’ self-image is the claim that their theories are based on research. However, using a random sample of 680 articles appearing in major American, British and Canadian journals, Dr Menzies shows that in some areas of sociology the wide gap between theory and research means that much of sociological theory is virtually untested. He explains how theory is embodied in eight particular types of research, critically examines these research theories, and contrasts them with the positions of modern theorists. The sample of journal articles also permits a comparison of British, American and Canadian sociology. By contrasting on how researchers us theories, Dr Menzies is able to reassess several theories. For instance, symbolic interactionist research uses embedded causal claims and stands in a dialectical relationship to other sociological research, while the research version of conflict theory depends on external causes to explain social change. The implications of using statistical techniques like factor analysis and regression are also considered in relation to the form of explanation.

Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons

Author: Peter Hamilton

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 9780415037624

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Talcott Parsons (1904-79) is widely regarded as one of the most important sociologists of the twentieth century. These four volumes provide an essential guide to the thought and work of this major sociologist.

The Normative Structure of Sociology (RLE Social Theory)
The Normative Structure of Sociology (RLE Social Theory)

Author: Hermann Strasser

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-13

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1317652320

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In this provocative analysis of the central issues and developments in modern social theory, Dr Strasser contends that enquiry into the function, tasks and mission of sociology as a discipline can be understood only in relation to the subject's historical development. He believes that a discussion of the origin and intention of sociology, particularly in relation to the established social order, enables us to grasp fully the nature of sociological theory, both past and present. He maintains that a sociologist's own position in society, and consequently his views on its development and his way of expressing those views, will affect the theoretical position he takes up.

Modern Reconstruction of Classical Thought: Talcott Parsons
Modern Reconstruction of Classical Thought: Talcott Parsons

Author: Jeffrey Alexander

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-04-03

Total Pages: 559

ISBN-13: 1317808614

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In this volume the author maintains that sociology must learn to combine the insights of both Durkheim and Marx and that it can only do so on the presuppositional ground that Weber set forth. Alexander maintains that the idealist and materialist traditions must be transformed into analytic dimensions of multidimensional and synthetic theory. This volume focusses on the writing of Talcott Parsons, the only modern thinker who can be considered a true peer of the classical founders, and examines his own profoundly ambivalent attempt to carry out this analytic transformation.

Sociological Theory
Sociological Theory

Author: John Scott

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2023-01-13

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 1802206906

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This thoroughly revised and updated third edition provides an expanded analysis of the nature and future of sociological theory. It offers new sections on feminist, post-colonial, and critical race theories, as well as a discussion of theories of system, structure and complexity.

Theoretical Logic in Sociology
Theoretical Logic in Sociology

Author: Jeffrey C. Alexander

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-03-11

Total Pages: 1669

ISBN-13: 1317807057

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This four volume work, originally published in the 1980s and out of print for some years, represents a major attempt to redirect the course of contemporary sociological thought. Jeffrey Alexander analyses the most general and fundamental elements of sociological thinking about action and order and their ramifications for empirical study. He insists that sociological thought need not choose between voluntary action and social constraint. The four volumes can be read independently of one another as each presents a distinctive theoretical argument in its own right. The first volume is directed at contemporary problems and controversies, not only in ‘theory’ but in the philosophy and sociology of science. The last three volumes make interpretations, confronting the individual theorists, and the secondary literature, on their own terms.

The Routledge International Handbook of Talcott Parsons Studies
The Routledge International Handbook of Talcott Parsons Studies

Author: A. Javier Treviño

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-11-22

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1000475166

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Talcott Parsons was the leading theorist in American sociology—and perhaps in world sociology—from the 1940s to the 1970s. He created the dominant school of thought that made "Parsonian" a standard description of a theoretical attempt to unify social science, as reflected in the fact that his contributions to the discipline cover a range of issues, including medicine, the family, religion, law, the economy, race relations, and politics—to name but a few. This volume brings together leading scholars working in the field of "Parsonian Studies" to explore the background of Parsons’s work, the content of his oeuvre, and his subsequent influence. Thematically organized, it covers Parsons’s contributions and impacts in areas including the philosophy and methodology of the social sciences; cultural sociology; personality, mental illness, and psychoanalysis; and economics and political and economic sociology. In addition, it considers his influence in different areas of the world and on particular students, and offers insights into the Parsonian tradition’s practical application to contemporary social issues. An authoritative, comprehensive, and in-depth critical assessment of the Parsonian legacy, The Routledge International Handbook of Talcott Parsons Studies will appeal to scholars across the social sciences and in sociology and social theory in particular, with interests in the history of sociology and the enduring relevance of Talcott Parsons.