Abstracted Versus Concrete Sociological Theory

This article compares the efficacy of abstracted systems analysis and concrete systems analysis for the study of society. Arguments for both the abstracted approach and the concrete approach are presented. A number of disadvantages of the abstracted approach are noted which hinder its usefulness as an isolated approach to sociology. These include the difficulty of system boundary determination, and the difficulty of consistently excluding the individual as the unit of analysis. The conclusion is reached that currently sociology needs a holistic model that is isomorphic with the empirical complex society, and that only a concrete systems model will satisfy this need. Such a model has the further advantage that it is easily applicable to the analysis of various system levels such as die individual, group, world, etc The holistic model is evaluated in terms of the arguments for abstracted systems, and is found to be consistent with the aims of adherents of this approach. Thus, it is concluded that the concrete approach does not preclude abstracted analysis, but may in fact facilitate such analysis by providing needed empirical grounding and model/data isomorphism. The article concludes with some thoughts on the need for exploring links between conceptual, abstracted, and concrete systems

Conceptual model · Empirical research · Epistemology · Isomorphism (crystallography · Management science · Mathematics education · Operations research · Sociology · Systems theory · Unit (ring theory · Computer Science · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Engineering · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology · Artificial Intelligence

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