Sociology and the Twilight of Man

Charles C. Lemert is Associate Professor of Sociology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He has written exten­sively in sociological theory and the sociol­ogy of religion.

“Using the method of linguistic analysis, Lemert subjects the works of some of the major contemporary American theorists (with Habermans the one European excep­tion) to a critical review. He advances the ar­gument that despite the apparent diversity of ‘paradigms’ among these works, all authors share the common assumption that ‘man [is] a finite subject who dominates his own his­tory.’ This assumption, Lemert maintains, has both unified sociological theory and pre­vented it from reaching new and presumably more accurate insights about the dynamics of modern social life. Lemert’s analysis is fas­cinatingly original… his challenge will be worth the attention of the professional so­ciologist.”—Library Journal“Lemert presents a novel classificatory scheme for sociological theories. His thesis is that theory has become an independent as­pect of sociological literature… This work should appeal primarily to sociological specialists, and particularly advanced students of theory. Well indexed; excellent bibliogra­phy; the print is large and very readable. Le­mert writes exceptionally well and clearly.”—Choice