Sorokin
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Some interpretations of the present world crisis
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Article sent to Sorokin by Rev. Thomas R. Hanley, compiler. References to Sorokin's soiocultural thesis, The Crisis of Our Age, are made on pages 179- 83. National Benedictine Education Association, Vol. XXV, March, 1943
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Sorokin : Counselor to Reaction
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A review of Social and Cultural Dynamics reprinted from Vol.III, no. 2 (Spring 1939) of Science and Society. As stated by Guthrie, the whole of Sorokin's analysis hinges on the notion that there are no linear, evolutionary or cyclical trends in culture, but merely fluctuations. he see three types of "integrated" cultural systems or "mentalities" Ideational, Sensate and Idealist. Of these, he regards only the first two as "pure", the Idealist being a mixture of the other two forms. There are also many other "mixed" forms of mentality, but they are of the "non-integrate" variety.
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Sorokin Plans Temptations for "Ideal" Entrance Exam
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Article is about Sorokin's conception of an "ideal" college for the development of both intelligence and moral character of the student and the entrance exam for the college. Files contains several clippings from various medias.
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Sorokin publishes new sociology work
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Sorokin's book Contemporary Sociological Theories will be translated into German. Other works translated include Sociology of Revolution and Social Nobilitiy
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Sorokin's Data Versus his Conclusions ( review of Social and Cultural Dynamics)
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Sorokin forecasts a crisis of the Sensate culture that has dominated the Western World during the last five centuries gleaned from the statistical data collected. "A transitory period looms before us and coming generations, perhaps with their nightmares, frightening shadows, and heart- rendering horrors. Beyond it, however, the dawn of a new great Ideational culture is probably waiting to greet the men of the future" . Some of Sorokin's deductions are examined more closely in the following review. Reprinted from American Sociological Review vol. IV, no. 5, October, 1939
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Static Dynamics - Sorokin's Social and Cultural Dynamics
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Several book reviews bound together in a red book entitled Sorokin Reviews, During the less-than-a-centruy of recognized- existance of Sociology it has runthe gamur from a synthesis of philosophies, through ever increasing detailed specialization until some recent "sociological studies" have seemed to be little more little more than factual catalogues of minute areas or compartments of human behavior.However, within recent deeades manyscholars have expressed their felt need for some mechanism by which there field of study might be brough into closer cohesion. Contemporary English sociological works show a disposition to diregard the thin and arbitrary lines supposed to set off social disciplines, as is also true in France; Germany has reaced out in the same direction through theories of Verstebende sociology and the Landschaft in cultural geograph; Pareto's monumental work, Mind and Socieity, indicates a similar trend in Italian thinking; in the United States, Howard W. Odum's folk-regional concept and the workof R. D. MeKenzie and N.S.B. Gras in human ecology swell the chorus os those hwo insist on a unifying theme. In his three volume owrk, Social and Cultural Dynamics, Pitirim A. Sorokin, with his collaborations, has combines the unifying ideology of the above with a searching sociological resume of history reminiscent of the synthetic work of Comte, Spence, and Ward. Thereby he attempts to return sociology to the ideals of its founders.The fundamental problem of social science in general and sociology in particular has always been the uncovering of some principle or set of principles whereby human behavior and social organization can be explained satisfactorily. Efforts to solve this problme has resulted in various philosophies of history. In geneal each such philosophy has been based upon some single idea, the application of which, its proponent believed, would clarify the age-old problem o fhow and why social change takes place. Sorokin sets himself the same task, and, like others, eevolves a philosophy of history. Unlike others, howe er, his philosophy of history is not based upon any one single idea; in fact, its essence is that history can be explained in terms of no single simple idea or principle, which may be used to explain its past or to predict its future. That is, his philosophy of history is that there can be no philosophy of history.This,does not mean that Sorokin would leave us without any clue to the understanding of history or of social processes. It simply means that he can find evidence of no trend, linear, evolutionary, cyclical, or spiral, which has persisted throughout othe course of history or even throughout the course of a given culture. Prediction sociology, therefore, is out of the question, from his point of view. The best we can hope for is an understanding of the social situation as it has existed in praticular places at particular times. Carried to its logical conflusion this means that sociology is not and cannot be a science in the sense that it formulates generalizations or laws applicable everywhere and at all times under like conditions. sociologhy thus becomes a descriptive art-art exemplified to its fullest exent in Social and Cultural Dynamics.Sorokin, as did his predecessor, Pareto, found it necessary to build his cultural and social categories on psychological types. the types each of these scholars chose aer strikingly similar. sorok's ideational mentality is roughly equivalent to Pareto's rentier; his sensate has most of the characteristics of Pareto's speculator. Neither of these mens was purely objective and scientific in the choice of these terms, through it seems that sorokin sins less. Also it mauy be remakred that the terms "introvert" and "extrovert" have long been used by sociologists and pysychology that of Becoming and only Becoming is real. It accepts that dectrine of evolution and pereaches the doctrine of progress. Readjustment is its code "by all means, at all times, at all cost."Science is its god and technolgoy its handmaiden. the self is the center of the universe. Truth is known only through one of the five senses. Theorry is held in contempt; measurement is glorified. Needless to say, neither of these in their pure form has ever been observed in any culture, as Sorokin points out. They are used as types toward which culutre mentalities lean.This leads Sorokin to postualate a third category, the Idealistic, which is an ambivalent mixture of the two types described, and is the vehicle of much of his whishful thinking. It is obvious that since neither the Ideational nor the Sensate exist in purse form, all cuture is Idealistic but tinged more or less with Ideational or Sensate properties. It is also equally obvious that the chances are very remote indeed that a culture could be found in which these two opposites are equally balanced. Sorokin varies his principal types with four sub-categories which he describes but does not use to any great extent.These two fundamental cultuer mentality types dfominate cultures at different times and form the basis on which each culture becomes an integrated whole. " Each has its own mentality; it's own sysstem of truth and knowledge; its own philosophy and Weltamschammg, tis own type of religion and standards of "holiness"; its own system of right and worng; its own forms of art and literatuer; its own mores, laws, code of conduct; its own predominant forms of social relationships; its own economic and political organization; and finally, its own type of human personality, with a peculiar mentality and conduct. The values which correspond to one aother throughout these cultures are irreconcilably at variance in their nature; but within each culture allt he values fit closely together, belong to one another logically, often functionally."Recognition of culture systems, of first importance to the sociologist, can be achieved through various research approaches and methods. Of these, the most important to Sorokin seem to be the historical and what he calls the sociological-phenomenolgoical; that is, cultgures may be "read" through inscriptions, letters, chronicels, books, memoirs, or any othe records. Such records should be used, however, for the insight they give into the dominant mentality of the time and place rather than for their chronicling of unique events. Of more importance is the so-called sociologica0-phenomenological with its two major divisions, the causal-functional and the logical reading. The causual-functional has for its task the dicovering of realtionships of cultural values and components. The logical rading searches for the "union or identity of central meaning or idea" in the cultural complex. The latter is particularly important becasue it comprises the underlying assumptions or axioms on which the remainder of the social structure is erected and in terms of which it is integrated. It is possible for a given culture to be perfectly integrated on one set of premises and not at all when a different set is applied. Hence the necessity for understanding the bias of each society investigated - and of each investigator.This leads Sorokin to his "logico-meaningful" method of investigation, foundational to his whole methodology. by this he means the discovery of the central principle that permeates the entire culture giving meaning to its traits and combing the units into a unit. any method which obtains the desired result is applicable; observation, statistical techniques, mediation, application of laws of logic, even dreaming or chance or intuition. the test of validity for any method is that it must be logical, that it must successfully meet the test of relevant facts, that it must adequately describe the situation. that is, sorokin is interested in solving a problem aned appears to be perfectly willing to use any techniques-generally accepted or not-which gives him an insight or understanding and enables him to attain his ends.having developed a theory of culture and elaborated a technique for its application, Sorokin proceeds to apply his ideas to the history of Western civilization, whith liberal sprinkling of Eastern examples. Most of the three volumes are filled iwth description, quoted or paaphrased, of variuos phases of the various cultures. with the greatest erudition, abundant documentaion and meticulous detail, he traces the rise and fall of Ideational and Sensate culture systems in all their variations. for instance, he undertakes to characterize the philosophical preoccupations of the Western world by twenty-year periods from 580 B.C. to 1900 A.D. Similar analyses are made for art forms, music, literature and criticism, ideas of truth, and knowledge, technological inventions, ideas of ethics and juidical complexions, social systems, political forms, deocnimic conditions, war, revolution and other internal disturances., Review of Sorokins' Social and Cultural Dynamics. Sorokin classified societies which could be either ideational (reality is spiritual), sensate (reality is material), or idealistic (a synthesis of the two). He suggested that major civilizations evolve through these three in turn: ideational, idealistic, sensate. Article printed in Social Forces, December 1937.
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Theosophical Forum: Book Review
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A review of Sorokin's book, Man and Society in Calamity: the effects of war, revolution, famine, pestilence upon human mind, behavior, social organization and cultural life" in Theosophical Forum, April 1943.
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