SOC 201 Chapter 2: Chapter 2.7
Document Summary
Had it not been for the race problem early thrust upon me and enveloping me, i should have probably been an unquestioning worshipper at the shrine of the established social order into which i was born. Like their nineteenth-century predecessors, contemporary sociologists are skeptical of commonly accepted explanations of things. Indeed, skepticism is an important foundation of scientific curiosity. If one accepts everyday explanations for things, there is no reason to inquire further. For example, in years past, only those who were skeptical of the commonly accepted fact that humans could not fly attempted to build aeroplanes. Similarly, in the early nineteenth century, engineers believed that buildings could not be constructed more than a few stories high. But the skeptics among them, working with technology and the laws of physics, designed the immense structures that dominate the skylines of modern cities. Sociologists are especially skeptical about the impact of social things.
