Quotation:
“Although there is a great gap between the theories discussed in this book and the theories we all create every day, the point is that there is no essential difference between professional and lay theorizing.” (Ritzer & Stepinsky, p5)
Paragraph pertaining to the above quotation:
I think it’s fascinating that we all have theories about how the social world works. In order to act in the social world, one has to have some concept of how the social world works, and how others are going to read, understand, and respond to your actions. Some theories are better than others though — some are closer to correct about how the world works.So one of my favorite questions about life is How do we know which are correct, which are false, and how do we make our own thinking better?
Question:
Can we expect social theory to predict behavioral outcomes the same way science theory can predict physical outcomes? If not why not (but also why is it useful then)?
Integration:
I often look for social theory in non-sociological places. Business and self-help writing is a good example. ‘Do this this and this and your business will go better.’ Religion most definitely has an assumption about how the world works, and about how the world should work. Heck, even the ‘pick up artist’ guys have an operating theory about gender and social interactions.
But we can also usually find holes in these other social theories. So how do we find out what is really correct? And personally, how do we figure out how to improve our own thinking and move our own thoughts forward?
