EIGHT KEY QUESTIONS

Four General Questions

1.  Social order: To what degree does it exist?  To what degree does it hide conflict?  From where does it come?

2. What are the effects of modernity?  Are we now in post-modernity?

3. What is the relative causal importance of ideal factors (e.g., culture—values, morals, ideas, tradition) and material factors (e.g., rewards, social structure, wealth, age, sex, group size)?

4. Is sociology a science?

Four Questions about the individual and society

5. Scientifically, how do we connect micro and macro levels?

6. What is the relative importance of social structure and actors?

7. To what extent is variation among individuals important?

8. To what extent does the individual have free will?