Invitation to Sociology Reaction Essay
Why did Berger argue that sociology can be dangerous? If sociology can be viewed as dangerous, to what extent might sociologists also be viewed as dangerous?
Sociology is the study of the society, the daily activities, the culture and beliefs of the people and how that affects their lives in the end. Berger viewed that sociology can be dangerous because it can be used in both humanly nefarious and humanly liberating enterprises (Berger; 1998). This is because, as a sociologist one should look at the simple things in life with a certain degree of scepticism as to the real and true meaning and root of some actions and also the level of rebelliousness that exists.
Sociology can be dangerous because it shows the differences in the ways of different people within the same society. This can bring about rebelliousness in a given custom (Eitzen; 2003). A sociologist asks questions that are sometimes not answered in the society like what is the reason for doing certain things in a society, most of the cultures and traditions are followed because they are what the forefathers did and believed in but when a sociologist investigates they find that the actions of the were to oppress a particular group of people. This leads to people refusing to follow the culture especially those being oppressed.
Taking a good example of cultures that believe that women should never try to compete with men, the real reason is to ensure that the society is male dominated and that the men have the last say. Once it was established that that’s the real reason feminism as a movement came up and protested against it and currently gender equality or at least equity is a main goal for every society (Slotkin; [1860], 2000). This means that sociology is dangerous because it can bring to light the darkness of a society and lead to complete change and alterations of the behaviours and beliefs of a people.
References
Berger Peter; 1998, Invitation to Sociology, Orthodox Publishers, New York
Eitzen D. Stanley; Maxine B Z; Eitzen K S; 2003 Social Problems, Twelfth Edition, Oxford University Press, New York
Slotkin, R. Regeneration Through Violence: The Mythology of a Society, 1600-1860 (2000), University of Oklahoma Press. Print.
