On Sociology--extensively revised, updated, and enlarged for this
second edition--addresses the current state of the discipline. Looking
to unify increasingly disparate areas of theory and research, John
Goldthorpe presents a new mainstream for sociology, combining the
demonstrated strengths of large-scale quantitative research and the
explanatory power of social action theory. The author's wide-ranging
mastery, extending over comparative macro-sociology, applications of
rational action theory, and philosophical and theoretical debates on
causality, to key questions in educational attainment and class analysis
and to the history of statistics in the social sciences, make this an
essential book for any sociologist.
The collection of closely interlinked essays is presented in two
volumes. Volume One begins with a series of critical essays that focus
on methodological problems in certain styles of sociological work. The
underlying theme is the need for recognition of a common "logic of
inference" that must underpin qualitative and quantitative work alike.
Volume Two illustrates and applies a new mainstream program, addressing
various topics in social stratification to highlight different aspects
of the integration of research and theory. Volume Two ends with two
retrospective essays that place the concerns of On Sociology in the
context of the history of the discipline in both the United States and
Europe.