C. Wright Mills Who? Example of sociology in last half of 20 th century

C. Wright Mills  Born 1916 died in 1962  Sociologist and Social Critic  A radical but not a Marxist  The sociological imagination A call for sociology to be tied to social problems A call for sociology to be tied to social problems A call for sociology to be concerned with social problems A call for sociology to be concerned with social problems

Culture and Politics  A good example of Mills and the problems of sociology in mid-century  Written during the cold war. American Sociology very anti-soviet American Sociology very anti-soviet American sociology as a weapon against communism American sociology as a weapon against communism  Mills critical of this use  Critical of both U.S. and U.S.S.R

A new Epoch  A period of transition  A new age of Post-Modern  Old ideals of liberalism and socialism outdated

Liberalism  Rationality  To be free a person must be rational Example Freud: rationality overcomes the irrational in therapy Example Freud: rationality overcomes the irrational in therapy  Freedom is central and the individual is supreme  Developed out of the enlightenment

Socialism  The work of Marx  Even in Marx rational is important  Making irrational capitalism rational  Is the Soviet Union rational?  Does the Soviet Union lead to freedom

Rationality and Freedom  Rationality may not lead to freedom  Rationality can lead to tyranny  The use of rationality by the Nazis to kill millions  These actions are not sadistic but businesslike

Superstates  Both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. superstates  Europe no longer the power it was  The rise of a permanent military  Foreign policy largely military  Third world left out

Three Worlds  Underdeveloped country Economic subsistence Economic subsistence  A properly developing society Standards of living are central and choices allowed Standards of living are central and choices allowed  The overdeveloped nation Standard of living dominates life style Standard of living dominates life style Conspicuous consumption Conspicuous consumption

Old Theory not applies  U.S. is not the democracy of Tocqueville  U.S.S.R not the classless society of Marx

Power is Centralized  The rise of corporations in the West Corporate interest over individual freedom Corporate interest over individual freedom  The rise of the party in the East Not worker’s control but state control Not worker’s control but state control Development at all cost Development at all cost

Critical of Intellectuals  Intellectuals have stopped critically reviewing society  Old schools of thought don’t work  Intellectual must be political not technical  We should not be cheerful robots.