Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 10.djvu/170

 I 58 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

world-theories. This is only a manifestation of a general ten- dency to be noted presently.

It remains to consider the scope and the phenomena peculiar to sociology as a science. Giddings asserts that it is "the general or fundamental science of society which occupies itself with the ele- ments and first principles of social phenomena," leaving detailed investigation to special social sciences. 40 In this view sociology bears the same relation to these social sciences that biology sus- tains to zoology, botany, anatomy, and physiology. Small, on the other hand, sees in sociology "a synthesis of all the particular social sciences " and regards sociologists as engaged in the task of "codifying the results of the special social sciences and in organizing these groups of scientific data into a coherent social philosophy." 60 While these views at first seem radically different, they are not, after all, irreconcilable. Sociology is both a science and a philosophy. Moreover, sociology must discover the laws of association as such, but these laws are discoverable only in the concrete facts analyzed and organized by the special social sciences. If there be a distinction in these ideas, it is that the fundamental view fixes attention on principles, while the " syn- thetic" theory looks also over the border toward policy and practice.

Again, the phenomena peculiar to sociology are variously con- ceived. De Roberty's "socialite," Gumplowicz's "conflict," DeGreef 's " contract," Spencer's " co-operation," Tarde's " imita- tion," Durkheim's " coercion," Simmel's " subordination," Gid- dings's "consciousness of kind," seem at first glance to form a chaos of ideas. But on examination these turn out to be simply various aspects of the structure and activity of the social group as such. They are different characteristics common to all types of social organization. The fact that these characteristics are almost wholly psychical is significant of the trend of scientific sociology and goes far to identify it with social psychology. 61

"GIDUINGS, article on "Sociology,"' JOHNSON'S Encyclopedia, ed. 1895. 10 SMALL, loc. cit., pp. 54 f.

" Cf. CALDWELL, " Philosophy and the Newer Sociology," Contemporary Review, September, 1898.