Читать книгу Sociology - Anthony Giddens - Страница 159

In this chapter we embarked on a whistle-stop tour of the history of sociological theorizing, illustrated with brief discussions of some influential theories, trends and critiques.

And it is the case that sociological theories develop in close contact and competition with each other. However, sociological theory cannot be successful if it develops only through such internal debate. It has to provide us with insights into the key issues of the day and must be empirically adequate as well as internally coherent.

The history of sociological theory shows that successful perspectives are always in a process of development and do not remain static. For example, neo-Marxist theories today remain close enough to Marx’s original ideas to be recognizable, but they have been modified, amended and renewed along the way by the force of changing circumstances. A similar process of revisiting and revising has occurred in relation to Durkheimian and Weberian ideas, which today are less formal and systematic than in the past.

At the same time, the diversity of contemporary sociological theories has led to combinations of theories, crossing the divide between the classical and the modern. Indeed, it might be argued that theoretical syntheses offer the greatest hope of preserving the best of the classical traditions while updating them for today’s world. As the final section shows, the best contemporary theories are able to help us get to grips with the most important issues of the age.