Sociology, Vol. 1 of 2
The Science of Human Society (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Sociology, Vol. 1 of 2: The Science of Human Society<br><br>Some years ago I published the Introduction to the Study of Sociology. Since then I have laboured incessantly to prepare the Sociology itself. For this purpose, I used the libraries of Berlin, Paris, and London besides those of Boston and Cambridge, in order to obtain the results of the latest researches. These investigations might have been more fruitful if I could have followed the methods heretofore pursued. Much more material might, in that case, have been gathered and used from French, German, English, American, and other sources. From the time of Comte a rich and valuable sociological literature has been developed, which is indispensable for the social student. All who come after these authors must gratefully recognise them as pioneers and guides. But it would be an abuse of their authority to infer that they must be implicitly followed in order to build a solid and final structure. Still, even if a new course is found necessary, their labours are of great value, often even fundamental.<br><br>After long investigation along the old lines I became convinced that the hope of the sociologist consists in a critical use of the products of preceding investigations, in an original examination of society, and in constructing the system of sociology from the material thus gathered and according to its inherent demands. As a consequence, the material was not forced into a preconceived plan, but the system grew out of the material.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.