Anthony Walsh bridges the divide separating sociology from
biology--a divide created in the late nineteenth century when
sociology emerged from the fields of social theory and philosophy.
Walsh focuses on the viewpoint held by former American Sociological
Association president Douglas Massey: sociologists have allowed the
fact that we are social beings to obscure the biological
foundations upon which our behavior ultimately rests.
Walsh argues that sociology has nothing to fear and a wealth of
riches to gain if it pays attention to the theories, concepts, and
methodologies of the biological sciences. Both study the same
phenomena. Beginning with an examination of the reasons why we need
a biosocial approach, Walsh explores sociology's traditional
"taboo" concepts (reductionism, essentialism, etc.) and how those
concepts are viewed in the natural sciences.
Throughout the work, the author introduces relevant concepts
from genetics and the neurosciences, using examples that will
appeal to all sociologists. Later chapters apply his introductory
arguments to traditional substantive sociological issues such as
culture, crime, gender, socialization, social class, and the
family. This book will be essential to all sociologists,
evolutionary biologists, and scholars interested in the history of
this important divide between the fields and where it currently
stands.
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