Sociology’s inescapable past

Steven Lukes

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Why does sociology teaching uniquely require study of its classics? The answer, it is suggested, lies in the indeterminacy of the idea of what is social—what constitutes and exemplifies it, at different levels of abstraction, about which the classical sociologists diverge, as do their continuing legacies. Synthesis aiming at disciplinary-wide consensus is not, therefore, a promising path. Selective perception, it is further suggested, deepens insight.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)283-288
    JournalJournal of Classical Sociology
    Volume21
    Issue number3-4
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Nov 2021

    Keywords

    • Abstract
    • classic
    • metaphor
    • selective perception
    • social

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Sociology and Political Science

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