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Sociological Theory and Contemporary Politics

Much contemporary theory utilizes laboratory and logical reflection for simplifying reality. Since social reality often fails to reveal the regularly recurring uniformities necessary for theory, the results are often arid. But scientific analysis can be applied to many politically significant proble...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of sociology 1955-09, Vol.61 (2), p.107-115
Main Author: Barrington Moore, Jr
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Much contemporary theory utilizes laboratory and logical reflection for simplifying reality. Since social reality often fails to reveal the regularly recurring uniformities necessary for theory, the results are often arid. But scientific analysis can be applied to many politically significant problems despite their uniqueness. The available body of theory emphasizes equilibrium and process. Without contradicting its assumptions, equilibrium theory cannot cope with important forms of social change, which are more successfully analyzed by theories of process. Analysis based on alternative possibilities might yield richer results than attempts to make firm predictions.
ISSN:0002-9602
1537-5390
DOI:10.1086/221690