Search results for ""Author Raymond Boudon""

This work, by one of Europe's foremost social theorists, presents a critical history of the concept of ideology. The author's discussion ranges from the early conceptions of ideology to its current usage in the works of Barthes, Foucault, Habermas and others. Boudon develops a distinctive and original approach to the analysis of ideology. Drawing on a series of case studies, he seeks to explain how and why social actors adhere so readily to false or dubious ideas. In opposition to those views which associate ideology with irrationalism, Boudon develops a rationalist theory which helps to explain why certain ideas are believed by individuals and are thereby effective in the social world. Rigorously argued and clearly written, this work is a major restatement of Boudon's theoretical views and a timely intervention in current debates. It will be of particular interest to students of sociology, politics and philosophy.

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Without Paul F. Lazarsfeld the social sciences would not be what they are today. In his work on unemployment, voting, consumer behaviour, and social influence, among other subjects, his methodological emphasis on vigorously controlled scientific language and structures transformed social research worldwide. His criticism of observational, conceptual, and inferential procedures in sociology led to the formation of universally applied observational and analytical techniques. The 18 essays in "On Social Research and Its Language" illustrate the diversity of Lazarsfeld's substantive, methodological, and organizational interests. Spanning the years 1933 to 1972, they encompass his own works of social research, as well as writings on methodology and the history and sociology of social research. In addition, Raymond Boudon provides a revealing biography of Lazarsfeld and his influence on sociology.

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