Final: Parsons Flashcards
What three ways can we read his book, The Structure of Social Action?
- as a history of sociology
- as an exercise in theory construction
- as a site of canon formation
How is his book read as a history of sociology?
- it sets up Parsons interpretations of utilitarianism and work of four European thinkers
- Marshall, Pareto, Durkheim, Weber
What were Parsons interpretations of utilitarianism and European thinkers equal to?
- data Parsons used to generate his view of the history of sociology
- it moved from the positivistic theory of action to the voluntaristic theory of action
What is an exemplar, core idea and view of actors in the positivistic theory of action?
- the exemplar is utilitarianism
- the core idea is the concept of rationality of action
- actors were scientific investigators
What doesn’t have a place with the positivistic theory of action?
-there is no place for non-rational, evaluative aspects of social action
What was Parsons response to the positivistic theory of action?
- as an explanation of social life it is irremediably flawed
- no place for norms and values
- ignores the problem of order
What is Parsons alternative to the positivistic theory of action?
-voluntaristic theory of action
What is voluntarism?
- freedom of choice
- subjective (meaningful) decision making processes of individuals
Explain the making of the voluntaristic theory of action?
- voluntarism
- but subjective decision making are always constrained by normative factors
- so there must be normative integration of action
- solving the problem of order
How does normative integration of action solve the problem of order?
- by asking and answering what holds society together?
- this would be shared norms and values (Durkheim)
Where did Parsons come up with his convergence theory?
-by reading the four theorists works and discovering what they all converged on
What is the convergence thesis?
-Marshall, Pareto, Durkheim and Weber arrived independently at an approach to studying the social world that incorporates norms without suppressing human agency
What did the four theorists converge on?
-the voluntaristic theory of action a common theoretical framework
Is the convergence thesis thought to be good history of sociology?
- answer depends on the validity of the convergence thesis
- if Parsons reached conclusion about Durkheim and Weber that do no sustain
How was his book an exercise in theory construction?
- Parsons came up with his new theory, the voluntaristic theory of action
- he borrowed the four other’s works to make his own
Why and what did Parson use from Marshall?
- he used Marshall to show what utilitarianism got wrong and what utilitarianism got right;
- actors are goal seekers
- individuals have the ability to make choices through weighing alternative lines of action
- actors are the creators of social systems
What did Parson use from Pareto?
-non-rational aspect of human action
What did Parson use from Durkheim?
- non-contractual element of contract
- problem of order (and what holds society together)
What did Parson take from Weber?
- role of value elements as motors of social change
- importance of subjective meaning
Define the voluntaristic theory of action
- theory that combines a concern with human action with a concern for social structure
- does this via the unit act
What is the unit act?
- core idea that Parsons creates
- hypothetical construct
What are the essential elements of the unit act?
- an actor
- an end or goal
- a situation ( in which the action is initiated)
- norms (constrain decisions about goals)
What important part of the unit act separates voluntaristic from positivistic?
-actors are influenced by norms
What is the normative orientation of action?
- norms compel the conduct of the actor in the unit act
- S–>I
What is Parsons solution to the problem of agency?
-macroextremist?
What is a Canon?
- set of standard thinkers, texts, examples, historical narratives
- by which a discipline is recognized
- its practitioners routinely use
What does making a canon involve?
-a selection of particular theorists, texts etc.
Who was the most important 20th century contributor (pre WW2)?
Parsons
Who started the debate on the sociological canon?
- Charles Lemert
- Steven Siedman
What were Lemert and Siedman’s key question around the canon?
- why does the sociological canon stand in need of reassessment
- how should the canon be reassessed?
Why did Lemert and Siedman choose to reassess the canon?
- sociological theory did not live up to its promises
- with the development of American sociological theory canon the political and moral character of sociological theory was lost
What questions did they ask about Parsons canon making?
- who is included in the canon
- nature of sociological theory as he said it would be an autonomous expert practice
- autonomous means not painted by social interests or morals and expert meaning soci is an intellectual pursuit
Who did Parsons put in and exclude from the canon?
- Durkheim and Weber included
- Marx excluded
What do Lemert and Siedman see wrong with current sociological theory and how did they respond?
- their is an increasing remoteness of sociological theory, its disconnected from something
- they responded by calling for a different kind of sociological theory
What kind of new sociological theory did L and S call for?
- takes its problems, themes and languages of argumentation from a public world
- abandons textual analysis in favour of social analysis
- abandons synthetic theories in favour of social criticism
- pushed down closer to life and out from the canon
How did L and S say they should reassess the canon?
- by reading canonical classical sociological theorists in a new way
- by reading excluded classical sociological theorists
What are the original canonical classical theorists like?
- Male white advocates for European culture
- sharing a common culture of critical discourse (how things out to be and not be)
What assumptions does the current canon have?
- there is one culture of critical discourse which is the exclusive domain of experts
- modernity was associated with progress but this was only one type of modernity
What is the second face of modernity though?
-the dark side of modernity
Did Marx talk about the two sides of modernity?
-yes
Progress side for Marx?
- shift to socialist system
- this would be progress because a classless society w/o exploitation will produce positive labour as labour should be
Darker side for Marx
- alienation
- labour should be a creative interplay but is not under capitalism
- instead, labour devalues and dehumanizes
Did Durkheim talk about the two sides of modernity?
Yes
Progress side for Durkheim?
- mechanical solidarity to organic solidarity
- if we have this we will have a healthy division of labour and then would be living in a society classified by social justice and equality
Darker side for Durkheim?
- contractual exchanges not fully regulated causing anomic suicide
- anomie
Did Weber talk about the two sides of modernity?
yes
Progress side for Weber?
- rationalization of economic production and capitalism
- morally enabling parts of capitalism
Darker side for Weber?
- morally disabling parts of capitalism
- iron cage
Why was is it important to read the excluded sociological theorists?
- because we need to read those that were oppressed by the dominant forces of modern culture
- voices were silenced by the prejudice of their time
What two excluded sociologists wrote about the darker sides of modernity?
- Charlotte Perkins Gilman on the exploitation of women
- W. E. B. DuBois on Black people in America
