Alvin W. Gouldner and the Tragic Vision in Sociology

Abstract

Alvin Gouldner's life and work is considered within the framework of his own attempt to fashion a reflexive sociology during the second half of his career. In the first half Gouldner was a functionalist and dutifully contributed insights and theoretical innovations to the paradigm, even while remaining critical of Talcott Parsons' own version of structural-functionalism. Later, by 1962, Gouldner broke from the dominant tradition to become an outspoken critique of establishment sociology, in the process becoming more sympathetic to competing theories, especially Marxism. Eventually, Marxism, too, was found to be inadequate because of its lack of reflexivity, and Gouldner became further alienated from both traditions of sociology. Concomitantly, Gouldner was battling on personal and professional fronts in his role of social critic. He became increasingly hostile toward others for their willing compliance with prevailing cultural prescriptions, which he believed were robbing human beings of their agency, vitality, and will to power. Lacking authentic knowledge of oneself, one could not hope to create social theories which benefited society and contributed to the liberation of the human spirit. Gouldner was a tragic hero, for although he came to an understanding of the limitations of human strivings in creating socially beneficial social theory, and fought valiantly to establish a program to fill this lacuna, he ultimately failed to deliver upon the promise of these insights because of his own hubris (on the personal front) and the internal paradoxes of reflexive sociology (on the professional front).