The Overall Doctrine / Class Theory / Alienation / The Sociology of Knowledge / Dynamics of Social Change / Marx Becomes a Young Hegelian / Parisian Days: Marx Becomes a Socialist / The End of Apprenticeship / The Founding of the First International / The Idea of Progress / The Idea of Alienation / The Idea of Perfectibility / The Idea of Totality / Marx’s Debt to His Contemporaries / The General Scene / Marx’s Parental Background and Early Companions / The Working-Class Audience / Isolation and Double Marginality Methods of Inquiry / The Law of Human Progress / Hierarchy of the Sciences / Social Statics and Dynamics / The Normative Doctrine / The Alliance with Saint-Simon / The Tradition of Progress / The Tradition of Order / The Tradition of Liberalism / The Influence of Saint-Simon / The Effects of Intellectual Competition: A Note on Comte and Quetelet / The General Scene / Comte’s Generation-Le Mal du Siècle / The Promise of Science / Comte Without Colleagues / The Search for an Audience Moreover, the inclusion of often overlooked, but important thinkers, such as Veblen and Mannheim, make this text an unusual and valuable one.” - C. Coser does this better than any other author I know. In my own courses on theory, I emphasize the importance of understanding the biographical, cultural, and social contexts within which thinkers developed their ideas. “Coser was a master theorist himself, and his ability to clearly lay out the core and meaning of theories is unrivaled. No other text combines depth of understanding with conceptual clarity and accessibility in the same manner as Coser.” - Martin E. “Coser’s book still sets the standard for all sociology theory texts. I am delighted that Waveland has reprinted it.” - Robert Graber, Truman State University “The best single text for teaching the history of sociological thought. “Coser’s masterpiece is an absolute must read for all undergraduate and graduate sociology students!” - Stan Weeber, McNeese State University It is a text that helped inspire me to become a sociologist.” - Pete Taylor, Colorado State University “A useful overview of some of the most important sociological thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is, and always has been, one of the finest statements on classical theory ever.” - Glenn A. We all recommend it to our students and now, in a paper edition and a more reasonable price, I will encourage them to purchase it. It is a mainstay for most social theorists I know. “I congratulate you on putting this out in paperback. A diamond of the first order.” - Alexandra Maryanski, University of California, Riverside Nobody does theory so well, especially for undergraduates. “Coser’s Masters is a theory book that is the very best of its kind. The concluding section addresses sociological questions such as: What were the social origins of the theorist? Did crucial events (e.g., war, depression, revolution) help fashion his orientations in ways similar to those of others in his generation? The final chapter presents a less-detailed discussion of major American theorists whose theories emerged between the 1940s and 1960s. The third section locates him and his work in the texture of a particular moment in intellectual history. Next is a short sketch of his life-his struggles and successes the influences of his family, peers, and superiors and his involvement in community affairs. The first section is a capsule summary of the scholar’s work-his main orientations, ideas, and contributions. Each of the first fourteen chapters follows a parallel organization. In this impressive and enduring text, Coser elucidates his examination of the ideas of fifteen influential sociological thinkers with a discussion of the social and intellectual circumstances that surrounded them. For today’s students to understand the history of sociological theories, more is required than a knowledge of formal propositions and theoretical structures.
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