Sociological Imagination Summary
The Sociological Imagination was written by C. Wright Mills in 1959. This book concentrates on what social science as a discipline, should seek to address and the positive impact that it can present. It portrays the focus of sociology and at the same time, discards the negative opinions. Mills considers that, society symbolizes disaster in institutions and the limitations of community members. He believes that a sociological imagination is an approach to get rid of these societal situations. During Mills’ period, the subject and learning of sociology had just been introduced in the United States. Sociology had only started to be acknowledged as an effective subject in universities after the Second World War. The book therefore entailed a new
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He then moves on to expound sociology as he views it: an essential civil and past occupation. The central goal of his analysis was motivated by the fact that theoretical sociologists during that time frequently performed a duty in encouraging discriminatory attitudes and notion and in replicating an unfair rank. On the other hand, Mills suggested his model form of sociological activity, which included the significance of identifying how a person’s experience and perception of the world are results of both the past perspective in which they are involved and the daily close surroundings in which somebody lives …show more content…
He aims at two main schools of thought as causes for this failure. The first one he refers to as “grand theory,” he relates to the powerful sociologist Talcott Parsons. Mills believes that Parsons’s ideas are theoretic and hence, they cannot be used to explain why people behave the way they do in the reality. The second one he calls “abstracted empiricism”; and reflects it to have the focus in doing polls, and taking a survey on people. Mill points out that polling, nearly does not result in formulating theories and that is what is required to illustrate the reason people think in certain ways. Mills goes ahead to criticize this school of reason by affirming that it tries to organize research instead of looking for facts and supporting further critical reasoning (Mills 70). This school of thought therefore, teaches the dominant how to be more
He then moves on to expound sociology as he views it: an essential civil and past occupation. The central goal of his analysis was motivated by the fact that theoretical sociologists during that time frequently performed a duty in encouraging discriminatory attitudes and notion and in replicating an unfair rank. On the other hand, Mills suggested his model form of sociological activity, which included the significance of identifying how a person’s experience and perception of the world are results of both the past perspective in which they are involved and the daily close surroundings in which somebody lives …show more content…
He aims at two main schools of thought as causes for this failure. The first one he refers to as “grand theory,” he relates to the powerful sociologist Talcott Parsons. Mills believes that Parsons’s ideas are theoretic and hence, they cannot be used to explain why people behave the way they do in the reality. The second one he calls “abstracted empiricism”; and reflects it to have the focus in doing polls, and taking a survey on people. Mill points out that polling, nearly does not result in formulating theories and that is what is required to illustrate the reason people think in certain ways. Mills goes ahead to criticize this school of reason by affirming that it tries to organize research instead of looking for facts and supporting further critical reasoning (Mills 70). This school of thought therefore, teaches the dominant how to be more