The Decomposition of Sociology (Paperback, Reissue)

After four decades in the profession, Rutgers sociologist Horowitz (Daydreams and Nightmares, 1990, etc.) looks in horror at the ideological grave into which he says his discipline has fallen, and attempts to resurrect the corpse before it rots away. Horowitz lays the blame for sociology's lamentable state at the feet of Marxist radicals, still shoving their worldview down the throats of college students even after the demise of Communism. Unyielding partisans such as these have polarized social science, Horowitz says, and their brand of left-wing fascism has taken sociology from the intellectual mainstream to a never-never land beyond the pale. This sort of tough talk turns to discussion of other, more reasonable, sectarian tendencies, such as those found in James S. Coleman's Foundations of Social Theory, with its espousal of a "rational choice" doctrine and its view of the individual as superior to the state. Envisioning social science as vital to the development of sound public policy, Horowitz makes an effort to reclaim it by advocating a return to first principles - namely, a focus on the answers to social problems as revealed through research into everyday life, with sociology serving "as a sensitizing agency for behavior." If sociology and other social sciences were given broader latitude and liberated from politics, they could become an educational link between a scientific and more traditional curriculum, creating a well-integrated culture, as well as a beacon to pierce the ideological darkness. No doubt Horowitz cares deeply about his field - but his scattershot indictments and pronouncements offer little by way of a specific plan of action, allowing sociology's crisis to lose ground to musings on the social sciences in general. (Kirkus Reviews)

Sociology, writes Irving Louis Horowitz, has changed from a central discipline of the social sciences to an ideological outpost of political extremism. As a result, the field is in crisis. Some departments have been shut down, others cut back, research programs have dried up, and the growth of professional organizations and student enrollments have been either curbed or atrophied. In The Decomposition of Sociology, Professor Horowitz, for four decades a leading social scientist, offers a frank and full account of the maelstrom engulfing this field.
Horowitz pulls no punches in this provocative volume. He charges that much contemporary sociological theory has degenerated into pure critique, strongly influenced by Marxist dogmatism. Such thinking has a strong element of anti-American and anti-Western bias, in which all questions have one answer--the evil of capitalism--and all problems one solution--the good of socialism. In criminology, for instance, he shows that high crime rates are seen as an expression of capitalist disintegration, and criminal behavior a covert expression of radical action. Indeed, in one area after another, Horowitz shows how this same formulaic thinking dominates the field, resulting in a crude reductionist view of contemporary social life. At a time when the world is moving closer to the free market and democratic norms, he concludes, such reductionist tendencies and ideological posturings are outmoded.
Horowitz offers an alternative. He urges a larger vision of the social sciences, one in which universities, granting agencies and research institutes provide an environment in which research may be untainted by partisan agencies--where policy choices will not be hindered by the prevailing cultural climate. He counsels sociologists to move away from blind advocacy, to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century by incorporating the knowledge of other times and places, and to take into account the shrinking globe--in short, to develop and maintain a new set of universal standards in this era of a world culture.
Here then is an eloquent plea for a revolution in sociology, written by one of the field's foremost figures. It offers as well a cautionary tale about the potentially devastating effect of ideology on scholarly pursuits.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	September 1994
First published:	September 1994
Authors:	Irving Louis Horowitz (Hannah Arendt Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Political Science)
Dimensions:	233 x 154 x 22mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	288
Edition:	Reissue
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-509256-1
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > General
LSN:	0-19-509256-2
Barcode:	9780195092561

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