This new edition introduces the social science audiences of a
new century to one of the classic highlights of the mid-twentieth
century. This is the most general statement of the general theory
of action as it was developed by its principle exponent, Talcott
Parsons, and his close collaborators who formed the core of the
fabled department of social relations at Harvard University. Toward
a General Theory of Action is an extremely ambitious formulation of
the ingredients, dimensions, and ranges that determine human
behavior.
Parsons and Shils enunciate principles that are at the core of
contemporary social science preoccupations-including the precarious
balance between social integration and conflict. The volume is at
once universal in intent and highly personal, an expression of
Parsons' thought, one of the most notable sociological theorists of
the century. Finally, the book symbolizes the interdisciplinary
impulse that typified a widespread belief in the unity of the
sciences. This edition includes the collaborative group's
introductory statement, Richard Sheldon's essay on the theoretical
and philosophical status of the general theory of action, and
"Values, Motives and Systems of Action" by Parsons and Shils.
Guy Swanson, writing in the The American Sociological Review,
noted that "Parsons and Shils have performed a major service in
clearing away many old controversies, in showing the reasonableness
of a behavioral foundation for general theory in social science as
a whole and in sociology in particular, in clarifying the
interrelations among many concepts, and in the insightful
interpretation of particular pieces of data." It is testimony to
this book's continuing significance that it continues to generate
new lines of research and writings.
General
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