Reading and translation
Read the text about an American sociologist and answer the questions:
What did Parsons produce during his life?
What was Parsons’ action theory based on?
What does this theory include?
What does it reflect?
Why was his work dismissed by 1970s?
Who has made attempts to revive Parsonian thinking?
Talcott Parsons
(December 13, 1902 - May 8, 1979)
T
alcott
Parsons
was an American sociologist,
who served on the faculty of Harvard
University
from 1927–1973. He produced a general theoretical system for the
analysis of society,
which was called action
theory
based on the concept on methodological and epistemological principle
of "analytical realism" and on the ontological assumption
of "voluntaristic action" on behalf of the
system-environment correlate of the actor.
As Parsons developed his theory it became increasingly based upon the theoretical principles of cybernetics and system theory, as well on Emerson's concept of "homostasis" and Ernst Mayr's concept of "teleonomic processes." On the meta-theoretical level Parsons' theory attempts to navigate and find a balance between psychologist phenomenology and idealism on the one hand and pure types of what Parsons called the utilitarian-positivistic complex, on the other hand. The theory includes a general theory of social evolution and a concrete interpretation of the major drives of world-history. In Parsons' theory of history and evolution, the constitutive-cognititive symbolization of the cybernetic hierarchy of action-systemic levels has in principle the same function as the function of genetic information in DNA's control of biological evolution but this factor of meta-systemic control does not "determine" any outcome, but rather it defines the orientational boundaries of the real pathfinder, which is action itself. Parsons' theory reflects a vision of a unified concept of social science and indeed, of a living system in general.
For many years Parsons was the best-known sociologist in the United States, and indeed one of the most influential and most controversial sociologists in the world. His work was very influential well into the 1960s, particularly in the United States, until it met with extensive criticism and was generally dismissed by the 1970s. Currently, interest in Parsons is increasing worldwide. Despite the traditional view that Parsons' theories are unsatisfactory if not inaccessible, prominent attempts to revive Parsonian thinking have been made by neo-Parsonsian sociologists and social scientists like Jeffrey Alexander, Bryan S. Turner, Victor Lidz, Uta Gerhardt, Giuseppe Sciortino, Helmuth Staubmann, David Sciulli, Richard Münch, Kazuyoshi Takagi and Ken'chi Tominaga, the latter a towering figure in Japanese sociology. On the issue of studying Parsons' biographical and historical data scholars such as William Buxton, Uta Gerhardt and Jens Kaalhauge Nielsen have been most prominent. The key centers of Parsons interest today beside the US are Germany, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Translate the following proper names:
Talcott Parsons; Harvard University; Emerson; Ernst Mayr; Effrey Alexander; Bryan S. Turner; Victor Lidz; Uta Gerhardt; Giuseppe Sciortino; Helmuth Staubmann; David Sciulli; Richard Münch; Kazuyoshi Takagi; Ken'chi Tominaga; William Buxton; Jens Kaalhauge Nielsen.
Translate the following sociological terms:
action theory; methodological and epistemological principle; analytical realism; voluntaristic action; homostasis; teleonomic processes; utilitarian-positivistic complex; constitutive-cognititive symbolization;
Translate the following words and phrases:
ontological assumption; system-environment correlate; cybernetics; to navigate; phenomenology and idealism; major drives of world-history; controversial sociologists; dismiss; inaccessible; revive; a towering figure; prominent.
Translate the text about Talcott Parsons into Russian.