Is morality a concrete sociological factor that has social consequences? Or is it simply a theoretical construction by philosophers and other moral theorists and advocates? Human beings act, and their actions are often influenced or even determined by their moral values. This seems to be an empirical fact. (They also act out of self-interest, out …
Who has a "social identity"?
Think about the multiple ways that "identity" comes into social life. We think we know what someone means when he says he is African-American, Southern, gen-X, and professional. But of course the reality is much more complex, both within the person and across the group. Each identity label brings with it a cluster of values …
Generalizations about cluster items
What is the basis of classification of items into groups? And how do classifications fit into scientific inquiry and theory? First, what different types of classification are there? Essential: The items may share a common defining characteristic (e.g. "liquid", "metal")-- Etiological: The items may share a common cause (e.g. "viral illness")-- Structural: The items may …
Plasticity of social entities
I maintain that virtually all social entities are "plastic": their properties change significantly over time, as a result of the purposive and unintentional behavior of the socially constructed individuals who make up a society. The view that I prefer is one that emphasizes a deep plasticity and heterogeneity in social entities. Organizations and institutions change …
What kind of thing is a religion?
The idea of a religion is apparently a very familiar one. It is a set of beliefs about the sacred shared by a group of people. It embodies some fundamental norms that guide and constrain believers' conduct. It is a potent social force that can determine the outcomes of presidential elections. But notice the many …
Methodological localism
How do social causes work? Some social theorists have treated social constructs as unified macro-entities with their own causal powers. Structuralist theories maintain things like "capitalism causes people to value consuming more than family time" or "democracy causes social cohesion." Likewise, some theorists have held that moral systems and cultures cause distinctive patterns of behavior--"Confucian …
More on "plasticity": hospitals
Let's think more about the extent and pace of plasticity in social organization by considering an example: hospitals. Hospitals are complex social organizations geared towards providing health care for moderately to very needy patients. And the internal organization of hospitals provides a fertile locus for examining issues of institutional change. The complexity of a hospital …
Why "false consciousness"?
The most frequently visited page on my research web site (out of more than 90 articles) is an encyclopedia article on false consciousness. Moreover, many of these visitors come from the developing world, including especially the Philippines. I am curious about these facts. False consciousness is a Marxist concept. It refers to the hypothesis that …
What is "power" in the twenty-first century?
Is "power" different in the twenty-first century? Is power the same as "ability to influence behavior"? Do the internet and new forms of communication and social networking create new opportunities for power--for good or bad purposes? Think about the ways power was created and used in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries: the power of the …
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Human behavior and institutions
Ultimately social phenomena are the aggregate result of the behavior of socially constituted persons who are acting within the context of locally embodied institutions. If there are regularities within the social realm, they derive from common features of individual agency, common features of institutions, and common processes of aggregation of effects. This implies that social …
Understanding Society 