Dictionary of Sociology

Today the techniques of empirical investigation and their quantification meets most claims of strict rigour. Comparative and theoretical sociology are as rigorous as the data and the state of the advancing discipline allow. On the whole the methods of the subject do not permit of experiment but only of observation and comparison. In comparison the canons of Mill’s Logic are still dominant, in particular the method of concomitant variation. Sociological theories have often, perhaps usually, been elaborated beyond the facts available. They are to be judged by the tests of their fruitfulness in yielding hypotheses, their power to explain and coordinate diverse and recalcitrant data, their economy in so doing, and their degree of internal logical coherence. Today there exists no dominant body of sociological theory, but most sociologists are discriminatingly eclectic. It is certainly true that there is a theoretical convergence of ideas in sociology, and that even theories very differently expressed in the past are being found to be complementary in practice.The dictionary is a wordbook rather than a glossary, and certain terms are given fairly lengthy treatment. These are terms which cannot be dealt with adequately in brief and more space has been allocated for their explication. The treatment of a term generally follows the rule that after a short description there is an historical reference to its uses, and whenever possible one or two books or articles are mentioned to which the reader may turn for further discussion. A number of short biographical sketches are also included.