This classic text has set a standard for American sociol-ogy. Cooley provides analysis without empiricism, applying psychological insight to his study of the individual and collective self. First published in 1909, this work attempts to motivate man and society to be more responsible to each other.""The style of his book is clear and attractive, the text abounding in happy quotation.""--Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

The Path of the Devil is organized around three fundamental theories: witch hunts as functional sacrificial ceremonies, realistic conflict and strategic persecution, and scapegoat phenomena. All conjectures point to the role of epidemic disease, war, and climactic and economic hardships as considerable factors. However, such crises have to be differentiated: when war is measured as a quantitative characteristic it is found to inhibit witch hunts, while epidemic disease and economi...

For religious persons, the notion of human being is tied inextricably to the notion of God (or the gods) and turns on this question: what is human being? How did we, with our almost infinite capacities for thought, change, and domination, come to be? Imbued with powers far beyond any other animal, humans are too faulty to be considered gods themselves. Yet, the idea of God (or the gods) appears in all distinctive human cultures: it names the other pole of human-it designates a being who re...

Key themes and ideas presented in "The Theory of the Leisure Class" include:Conspicuous Consumption: Veblen introduces the concept of "conspicuous consumption," which refers to the public display of wealth through lavish spending on goods and services that serve primarily to demonstrate one's social status rather than fulfill practical needs.Leisure Class: Veblen discusses the emergence of a "leisure class" that engages in non-productive activities and conspicuous consumption as markers of...

'Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.' To this 'one very simple principle' the whole of Mill's essay On Liberty is dedicated. While many of his immediate predecessors and contemporaries, from Adam Smith to Godwin and Thoreau, had celebrated liberty, it was Mill who organized the idea into a philosophy, and put it into the form in which it is generally known today.The editor of this essay, Gertrude Himmelfarb records responses to Mill's books and com...

With its wry portrayal of a shallow, materialistic 'leisure class' obsessed by clothes, cars, consumer goods and climbing the social ladder, this withering satire on modern capitalism is as pertinent today as when it was written over a century ago.

The writings of John Stuart Mill have become the cornerstone of political liberalism. Collected for the first time in this volume are Mill’s three seminal and most widely read works: On Liberty, The Subjection of Women, and Utilitarianism. A brilliant defense of individual rights versus the power of the state, On Liberty is essential reading for anyone interested in political thought and theory. As Bertrand Russell reflected, “On Liberty remains a classic . . . the presen...

In "The Mind in the Making: The Relation of Intelligence to Social Reform," James Harvey Robinson explores the intricate interplay between human intelligence and societal progress. Employing a provocative literary style that blends philosophical inquiry with empirical analysis, Robinson challenges prevailing norms and advocates for an evolution in educational practices. The book dissects various aspects of human cognition and their implications for social reform, drawing upon contemporary ...

John Dewey's The Public and Its Problems is a pioneering work of social theory, exploring the fundamental relationship between the state and its citizens and providing critical insights into the enduring problems of governance and civic engagement.Dewey argues that a "public" forms whenever the actions of individuals have indirect consequences for others, creating shared problems that require collective regulation. In modern, complex societies, these consequences a...

This file includes: The Theory of the Leisure Class, An Inquiry into the Nature of Peace, and The Pleace of Science in Modern Civilisation and Other Essays. According to Wikipedia: "Thorstein Bunde Veblen, born Torsten Bunde Veblen (July 30, 1857 – August 3, 1929) was an American economist and sociologist, and a leader of the institutional economics movement. Besides his technical work he was a popular and witty critic of capitalism, as shown by his best known book The Theory of the Leisur...

Veblen's landmark study of affluent American society exposes the 'pecuniary culture' and 'conspicuous consumption' that results when unessential goods are exploited at the expense of production of true value. This new edition examines Veblen's still pertinent arguments. - ;'Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.' In The Theory of the Leisure Class Thorstein Veblen sets out 'to discuss the place and value of the leisure class as an ...

The purpose of this essay is to show: first, that the social problem has been the basic concern of many of the greater philosophers; second, that an approach to the social problem through philosophy is the first condition of even a moderately successful treatment of this problem; and third, that an approach to philosophy through the social problem is indispensable to the revitalization of philosophy.