Invitation to Sociology Essay

gibe L. Berger (1963, pp. 2324) 2 noted in his incorrupt book Invitation to Sociology, The first wisdom of sociology is thisthings atomic number 18 not what they picturem. Social humans, he said, has many an new(prenominal)(prenominal) layers of meaning, and a goal of sociology is to help us discover these multiple meanings. He continued, great deal who like to avoid shocking discoveriesshould keep away from sociology. As Berger was emphasizing, sociology helps us see through conventional fellow feelings of how society works. He referred to this theme of sociology as the debunking motif. By looking for levels of reality other than those give in the official interpretations of society (p. 38), 3 Berger said, sociology looks beyond on-the-surface understandings of social reality and helps us agnize the value of alternative understandings. In this manner, sociology oft challenges conventional understandings astir(predicate) social reality and social institutions. For exampl e, suppose two battalion meet at a college dance. They atomic number 18 interested in initiateting to endure each other. What would be an on-the-surface understanding and explanation of their interaction over the next a coupling of(prenominal) minutes? What do they say? If they atomic number 18 like a typical couple who just met, they will ask questions like, Whats your name? Where be you from? What dorm do you live in? Whats your study(ip)? Now, such a description of their interaction is OK as far as it goes, but what is really going on here?Does either of the two hatful really care that much almost the other persons answers to these questions? Isnt each one more concerned about how the other person is responding, two verbally and nonverbally, during this shortened interaction? For example, is the other person paying attention and mirthful? Isnt this kind of understanding a more complete analysis of these few minutes of interaction than an understanding base solel y on the answers to questions like, Whats your major? For the most complete understanding of this brief encounter, then, we must look beyond the kind of superficial things the two people are telling each other to debunk the true meaning of what is going on. As another example, consider the big businessman organise in a city or state. To know who has the power to concur decisions, we would in all likelihood consult a city or state charter or piece that spells out the powers of the branches of government. This written document would guide who makes decisions and haspower, but what would it not talk about? To put it another way, who or what else has power to influence the decisions elected officials make? fine-looking corporations? Labor unions? The media? Lobbying groups representing all sorts of interests? The city or state charter or governing body may indicate who has the power to make decisions, but this understanding would be special unless one looks beyond these writt en documents to get a deeper, more complete understanding of how power really operates in the consideration being studied.