Sociological Research in a Time of Crisis

Abstract

T IS generally believed that August 6, 1945, marked a new era in the history of mankind. Albert Einstein has declared, however, that the release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity to solve an old one. The present crisis serves only to emphasize the need to close the gap between our social imbecility and our technological genius. The peoples of the world are confronted with the inescapable need for a basic ideological re-orientation. This need derives from the fact that the ethnocentric attitudes characteristic of culture are in irreconcilable conflict with the technological conditions under which we live.' How can this conflict be resolved and the necessary re-orientation achieved? In some areas man has already learned to seek the solutions of problems through the use of science. Part of the explanation of his present difficulty lies in his reluctance to use this same approach to solve his social problems. The present world crisis represents a social problem and its solution is to be found through the use of social science. In this task sociology has an especially important role because of the data with which it presumably deals. As sociologists we must ask ourselves the question: Can sociology meet this challenge? The answer involves a frank evaluation of the theoretical and methodological adequacy of sociology as a scientific discipline. Let us examine three factors which may prevent our being equal to the task.