Contemporary Sociologist

Peter Berger, a contemporary sociologist, warns people that sociology is not for everyone, especially those who have no curiosity about how and why people are the way they are.   He believes that people who, in a sense, have lived a sheltered life will find sociology unpleasant and unrewarding.   For a sociologist, I am appalled that this would be a view that he concocted.   I do believe that sociology is not for everyone, but then again, what is?   All people wonder why and how.   It’s just that some people believe that the “why’s” and “how’s” stem from a different source, such as the Bible.   It is true that in sociology you learn about people and their way of life, and for some, this study maybe hard to comprehend or understand, but it is something that everyone should be required to learn.   Studying sociology makes people more open minded and receptive to others.   It makes them aware that we are all very different but in a sense, still very much a like.

Quite obviously, sociology is about studying people and society. However, this lack of a clear and precise definition leads many people to think that sociology is really about studying the obvious or that it\'s all just common sense knowledge.   In one sense, sociology is about studying rather typical and perhaps even mundane things, such as social norms, friendships, and organizations, to name just a few.   Some people see understood. The fact is, most people do not realize how complicated and detailed such everyday things and processes can be. It\'s very easy to take things for granted when you come into contact with them all the time but don\'t really notice that they even exist.   Because human society itself is so complex and multidimensional, sociologists themselves deal with a wide variety of specific subjects and issues.

Throughout this course, my perceptions and ideas have not really been affected by studding sociology.   I moved here to Sparta from South Florida, the melting pot of the South....