Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-227) and index.
pt. 1: Desperately seeking sociology in the 21st century. Tales of the academic undead: the mysterious disappearance of society ; The social science at risk: a brief history of the stakes ; Socialism as the elusive synthesis at the heart of social science ; The problem of inheritance and socialism's ultimate retreat to naturalism ; Towards a renewal of welfare and the rediscovery of British sociology ; Interlude: today's Orwellian turn in social science -- pt. 2: The biological challenge to social science. The hidden biological past of classical social theory ; Making the difference between sociology and biology matter today ; Beware of Darwinists bearing leftist gifts: the struggle for Marx's successor ; Who (or what) deserves our sympathy? -- pt. 3: Humanity as the endangered species of our time. The coming world-historic struggle in science and religion ; Understanding the fundamentalist backlash against secularization ; Karma secularized: the Darwinian turn in development policy ; Might we become Nazis in paradise? -- Conclusion: Is there no escape from human nature? -- Glossary.
0
Steve Fuller examines the history of the social sciences covering most classic theorists and themes, to discover the key contributors to sociology and how relevant they remain today.