Abstract
The persuasiveness of Parsons's solution to the Hobbesian problem of order rests on the conjunction of two premises, one substantivesociological, the other methodological. (1) Normative consensus may ensure order in a way which can be "generalized." (2) Sociology must be an "analytic" science. Both premises are criticized, the former because it is empirically false, the latter because in its Parsonian conception it would render sociology nonfalsifiable. It is further argued that Parsons, while contiuning to cling to his normative solution to the problem of order, eventually abandoned his early interpretation of the analytic status of sociology, and therewith deprived his solution to the Hobbesian problem of an essential prop. Finally, the whole Parsonian approach to social science is shown to issue from a metaphysical view of social reality as a composite of several spheres, each of them sui generis.
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Current issues are now on the Chicago Journals website. Read the latest issue.Established in 1895 as the first US scholarly journal in its field, the American Journal of Sociology (AJS) presents pathbreaking work from all areas of sociology, with an emphasis on theory building and innovative methods. AJS strives to speak to the general sociology reader and is open to contributions from across the social sciences—political science, economics, history, anthropology, and statistics in addition to sociology—that seriously engage the sociological literature to forge new ways of understanding the social. AJS offers a substantial book review section that identifies the most salient work of both emerging and enduring scholars of social science. Commissioned review essays appear occasionally, offering the readers a comparative, in-depth examination of prominent titles.
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Since its origins in 1890 as one of the three main divisions of the University of Chicago, The University of Chicago Press has embraced as its mission the obligation to disseminate scholarship of the highest standard and to publish serious works that promote education, foster public understanding, and enrich cultural life. Today, the Journals Division publishes more than 70 journals and hardcover serials, in a wide range of academic disciplines, including the social sciences, the humanities, education, the biological and medical sciences, and the physical sciences.
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Abstract
An analysis of the historical contexts of the phrase "social problems" reveals that the phrase expanded upon the singular "social problem" of early nineteenth-century Europe: the equitable distribution of wealth. As continental, English, and North American reformers and social scientists laid claim to the problematics of social change, they also split the thorny "social problem" into many "problems," each of which could be adopted - and perhaps solved - by a different interest group or academic specialty. By the end of the century, American sociology had embraced all "social problems" and the singular "social problem" had become, instead of the problem of equity or social justice, the problem of doing sociology itself.
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Published quarterly for the Society for the Study of Social Problems, Social Problems tackles the most difficult of contemporary society's issues and brings to the fore influential sociological findings and theories enabling readers to gain a better understanding of the complex social environment. Areas covered by the journal include: conflict and social action; crime and juvenile delinquency; drinking, drugs, and addiction; health policy and services; race and ethnicity; and sexual behavior and politics. One of the most respected and widely read professional journals in today's social sciences, Social Problems presents accessible, relevant, and innovative articles that maintain critical perspectives of the highest quality.
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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence. It currently publishes more than 6,000 new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs more than 5,500 people worldwide. It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing program that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and academic journals.
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Social Problems © 1997 Oxford University Press
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