Talcott Parsons Quotes

A collection of quotes by Talcott Parsons.

Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) was an American sociologist and one of the most influential figures in the field of sociology in the mid-20th century. He was born in Colorado, United States, and is known for his extensive contributions to sociological theory, particularly in the areas of social systems and structural-functionalism.

Parsons received his education at Amherst College, the London School of Economics, and Harvard University, where he later became a professor. He developed a comprehensive theoretical framework that emphasized the interconnectedness and interdependence of social institutions, functions, and roles within society.

Parsons argued that society is a complex system in which different structures and institutions work together to maintain social order and stability. He stressed the importance of social norms, values, and expectations in guiding human behavior and maintaining social cohesion. Parsons also examined the role of individuals as actors within these social systems.

Throughout his career, Parsons conducted extensive research on various topics, ranging from the family and gender roles to religion and social change. His work had a profound impact on sociological theory, influencing generations of scholars and providing a framework for understanding social systems.

While Talcott Parsons has been criticized for being overly abstract and neglecting issues of power and conflict, his ideas continue to shape the field of sociology and remain influential in understanding the complexities of society.

The functions of the family in a highly differentiated socie

The functions of the family in a highly differentiated society are not to be interpreted as functions directly on behalf of the society, but on behalf of personality.

Talcott Parsons

The implications of these considerations justify the stateme

The implications of these considerations justify the statement that all empirically verifiable knowledge even the commonsense knowledge of everyday life - involves implicitly, if not explicitly, systematic theory in this sense.

Talcott Parsons

It is probably safe to say that all the changes of factual k

It is probably safe to say that all the changes of factual knowledge which have led to the relativity theory, resulting in a very great theoretical development, are completely trivial from any point of view except their relevance to the structure of a theoretical system.

Talcott Parsons

The conception that, instead of this, contemporary society i

The conception that, instead of this, contemporary society is at or near a turning point is very prominent in the views of a school of social scientists who, though they are still comparatively few, are getting more and more of a hearing.

Talcott Parsons

Science is intimately integrated with the whole social struc

Science is intimately integrated with the whole social structure and cultural tradition. They mutually support one other -- only in certain types of society can science flourish, and conversely without a continuous and healthy development and application of science such a society cannot function properly.

Talcott Parsons

It is that of increasing knowledge of empirical fact, intima

It is that of increasing knowledge of empirical fact, intimately combined with changing interpretations of this body of fact - hence changing general statements about it - and, not least, a changing a structure of the theoretical system.

Talcott Parsons

But the scientific importance of a change in knowledge of fa

But the scientific importance of a change in knowledge of fact consists precisely in j its having consequences for a system of theory.

Talcott Parsons

A human being has been given an intellect to make choices, a

A human being has been given an intellect to make choices, and we know there are other food sources that do not require the killing of a creature that would protest being killed.

Mary Tyler Moore

From all this it follows what the general character of the p

From all this it follows what the general character of the problem of the development of a body of scientific knowledge is, in so far as it depends on elements internal to science itself.

Talcott Parsons

The hypothesis may be put forward, to be tested by the s sub

The hypothesis may be put forward, to be tested by the s subsequent investigation, that this development has been in large part a matter of the reciprocal interaction of new factual insights and knowledge on the one hand with changes in the theoretical system on the other.

Talcott Parsons