Peter Berger is one of the most prominent thinkers in Western
sociology. He described the sociologist in a certain way, he used the term
"ideal type" (Weber) - this term has a certain meaning - as a
theoretical concept - it is a concept that speaks of some prototype, a purely
theoretical model used by us to examine reality
Berger's sociology presents itself as a special kind of
modern and Western thinking. The sociologist does not work to correct society,
but to understand the existing (cf Georg Simmel).
The sociologist understands by the term "society" a
large set of human relations, a system of interactions. The application of the
concept cannot be determined solely by quantitative indices (what is
"big"?), And can be applied only at a set of relationships.
The title "social" also needs a different
definition from its general use in everyday life: a situation in which people
direct their actions towards each other (the quality of interaction). This is a
definition by Max Weber. The set of meanings, expectations and behaviors
obtained from mutual intentionality is the material for sociological analysis.
The sociologist looks at social phenomena differently from
other researchers, he is interested in the variety of human relationships and
interactions that may occur. Berger spoke of the sociologist as a spy for
society, gathering information and passing it on to someone else.
A sociologist, then, examines different levels of meaning in
each act, and tries to see beyond the defined goals of human actions. Because
it is an unconventional thinking and an examination of things that go
unnoticed, times that excel in severe shocks to self-perception are good for
the development of sociology, as they lead people to question the accepted
powers.
The sociologist for
Berger asks questions we ask ourselves on a daily basis. Sociology does not
invent the questions, but there is a difference in the way sociology looks. The
sociologist, in fact, fights for granted.
A sociologist, then, "goes into the depths of
things" and "discovers what goes on behind the scenes." Most
people and social activities hide behind fronts (physical fronts, even:
apartments, for example), and a research and intellectual effort is needed to
initiate breaking through these fronts. When the sociologist comes to
investigate he should be worthless.
In the study of a system of government, for example, the
sociologist deals not only with the official mechanisms that are supposed to
regulate the government, but behind them - with interests, norms, prejudices,
power structures within the community, etc. There is a network of informal
behavior here - usually coming from the entire population in the community
(from the rookie or clerk) and not from the head (officer or manager) (there is
a brilliant example of marriage from page 43 in the text - that the overall
belief is that one marries out of love, but in practice people marry In their
same social and economic status, and hold regular and familiar ceremonies of
courtship and infatuation).
Continue to part 2 of the summary of Peter Berger's Invitation to Sociology
Sociology as an Individual Pastime
Sociology as a Form of Consciousness
Another summary of social construction of reality by berger and luckmann
Great books by Peter Berger and other invitations to sociology:
