1972/06/01 by Pat Duffy Hutcheon · 2 citations
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice #Religion and Society Interactions #Cultural Differences and Values
paper · doi:10.2307/589108
It is the contention of this paper that there has been a pronounced tendency in sociology to under-emphasize the study of values and moral issues, and that the cause of this is twofold: the cultural and organizational climate within which sociologists operate and the lack of consensus among them on a conceptual framework within which accumulative research on values could occur. The broad outlines of such a model will be offered in an effort to initiate a revival of constructive debate on value theory, and a few possible implications for future research on values will be suggested. Why should sociology be concerned with the study of values? The obvious reason is that they may well provide the key to a more adequate understanding of man in society. But accompanying this is a certain moral imperative which impinges on the sociologist as a member of humanity at this particular moment in time. A lack of progress in the application of organized intelligence to the choice of goals for humanity is everywhere apparent. It could be argued that the kind of disciplined assault on the problem that the scientific approach to knowing can provide is long overdue. Furthermore, the possibility that sociology itself may bear some responsibility for mankind's current moral crisis cannot be summarily dismissed. The myth of the possibility of 'objectively' documenting reality, so unquestioningly accepted by sociologists anxious to achieve 'scientific' status, seems now to have spread to a majority of those involved in the humanities and the arts. The fetish of realism-too often manifested as a detailed portrayal of pathology in the name of the whole truth-is widely indulged in by the very 'creative' intellectuals who scorn the social scientists for their conformist scientism. Ironically, both groups may be operating from identical outmoded assumptions about the possibility of a detached type of objectivity, and about the individual's lack of responsibility for his personal contribution to the shaping of the values which in turn shape humanity.1 The reaction of a large segment of the youth subculture to this 'disinterested' pursuit of truth-and its accompanying fascination with