The various social-conflict theories have gained a large following in recent decades, but like other approaches, they have met with criticism. Because any social-conflict theory focuses on inequality, it largely ignores how shared values and interdependence can unify members of a society. In addition, say critics, to the extent that it pursues political goals, a social-conflict approach cannot claim sci- entific objectivity. Supporters of social-conflict theory respond that all theoretical approaches have political consequences. A final criticism of both structural-functional and social- conflict theories is that they paint society in broad strokes—in terms of “family,” “social class,” “race,” and so on. A third theoretical ap- proach views society less in general terms and more as the specific, everyday experiences of individual people. Check Your Learning Why do you think sociologists char- acterize the social-conflict approach as “activist”? What is it actively trying to achieve?
The various social-conflict theories have gained a large following in recent decades, but like other approaches, they have met with criticism. Because any social-conflict theory focuses on inequality, it largely ignores how shared values and interdependence can unify members of a society. In addition, say critics, to the extent that it pursues political goals, a social-conflict approach cannot claim sci- entific objectivity. Supporters of social-conflict theory respond that all theoretical approaches have political consequences. A final criticism of both structural-functional and social- conflict theories is that they paint society in broad strokes—in terms of “family,” “social class,” “race,” and so on. A third theoretical ap- proach views society less in general terms and more as the specific, everyday experiences of individual people. Check Your Learning Why do you think sociologists char- acterize the social-conflict approach as “activist”? What is it actively trying to achieve?
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