{"product_id":"the-decomposition-of-sociology-9780195073164","title":"The Decomposition of Sociology","description":"\u003cp\u003eSociology  writes Irving Louis Horowitz  has changed from a central discipline of the social sciences to an ideological outpost of political extremism. As a result  the field is in crisis. Some departments have been shut down  others cut back  research programs have dried up  and the growth of professional organizations and student enrollments have been either curbed or atrophied. In The Decomposition of Sociology  Professor Horowitz  for four decades a leading social scientist  offers a frank and full account of the maelstrom engulfing this field. Horowitz pulls no punches in this provocative volume. He charges that much contemporary sociological theory has degenerated into pure critique  strongly influenced by Marxist dogmatism. Such thinking has a strong element of anti-American and anti-Western bias  in which all questions have one answer--the evil of capitalism--and all problems one solution--the good of socialism. In criminology  for instance  he shows that high crime rates are seen as an expression of capitalist disintegration  and criminal behavior a covert expression of radical action. Indeed  in one area after another  Horowitz shows how this same formulaic thinking dominates the field  resulting in a crude reductionist view of contemporary social life. At a time when the world is moving closer to the free market and democratic norms  he concludes  such reductionist tendencies and ideological posturings are outmoded. Horowitz offers an alternative. He urges a larger vision of the social sciences  one in which universities  granting agencies and research institutes provide an environment in which research may be untainted by partisan agencies--where policy choices will not be hindered by the prevailing cultural climate. He counsels sociologists to move away from blind advocacy  to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century by incorporating the knowledge of other times and places  and to take into account the shrinking globe--in short  to develop and maintain a new set of universal standards in this era of a world culture. Here then is an eloquent plea for a revolution in sociology  written by one of the fields foremost figures. It offers as well a cautionary tale about the potentially devastating effect of ideology on scholarly pursuits.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647550840885,"sku":"ByrdShop_0195073169","price":28.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780195073164.jpg?v=1781692665","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-decomposition-of-sociology-9780195073164","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}