Among the academic disciplines that fell under leftist domination the earliest was sociology. Today, sociology courses are almost uniformly exercises in pitching statist “solutions” to problems.
It does not have to be that way, argues Indiana University professor Fabio Rojas in today’s Martin Center article.
He writes, “In the sociological imagination, capitalism is now regarded as a sin standing next to sexism and racism. Routinely, sociologists call for their colleagues and students to oppose capitalism and use their classrooms as places where people can understand the repressive nature of ‘neoliberalism.’”
Instead of learning how to analyze social problems, students merely get a catechism of left-wing bromides.
Rojas is unhappy over that and has co-authored a book arguing that sociologists should come out of their Marxist bubbles and look at reality. He continues, “The book answers the question, ‘How can sociology and classical liberalism improve each other with an honest dialogue?’ Each of the nine chapters addresses a core idea in sociology, such as poverty, racism, and social change, with ideas drawn from classical liberalism, such as free-market economics, viewpoint diversity, limited government, and an appreciation of free speech. The authors of each chapter bring their expertise in their topic to develop an exchange between classical-liberal thinking and academic sociology.”
I have read the book, and it is a splendid effort at reviving sociology as a serious discipline.
Read the whole article.