Summary
Contents
Subject index
What can sociological theory tell us about the basic forces that shape our world? </em>With clarity and authority, leading theorist Jonathan H. Turner seeks to answer this question through a brief, yet in-depth examination of twelve major sociological theories. Readers are given an opportunity to explore the foundational premise of each theory and key elements that make it distinctive. The book draws on biographical background, analysis of important works, historical influences, and other critical insights to help readers make the important connections between these monumental sociological theories and the social world in which we live. This concise resource is a perfect complement to any course that seeks to examine both classic and contemporary sociological theory.
Exchange Theorizing
Exchange Theorizing
The Reluctance to Embrace Utilitarianism and Behaviorism
Early Distrust of Utilitarian Economics
In 1776, Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations1 where he explained the basic laws of supply and demand in markets of the emerging industrial capitalist system that dominates the world today. Smith's most famous argument was that the price of a commodity or service is related to its supply relative to the market demand—a line of thought that contradicted Marx's futile effort to link the value of commodities to the labor power needed to produce these commodities. Adam Smith himself had toyed with the labor theory of value and concluded that it was not workable, but Marx needed the concept to have an operational definition of exploitation: capitalists make profits ...
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