Science, social science, and society: Natural images in Talcott Parsons's social theory

This dissertation contributes to the existing studies on the history of social science generally and on Talcott Parsons in particular by systematically discussing a most prominent yet hitherto largely ignored aspect of his work—his borrowing of natural scientific images, concepts, and methods through analogies and metaphors, treating it as the very key to understanding both the development of his social theories and his lifelong efforts to promote the scientific status of sociology. It uses the method of “discourse analysis” to trace the course which led Parsons to pursue points of convergence among diverse intellectual traditions and academic disciplines as the answer to his quest for a distinctly sociological way of knowing, highlighting the concrete flow of ideas between him and some of the most influential figures in his career: Lawrence J. Henderson, Walter B. Cannon, Alfred E. Emerson, and Bert F. Hoselitz, among others. All from outside his discipline, these individuals played instrumental roles in introducing Parsons to the broader transdisciplinary discourses of which they were major pioneers or participants: general systems theory, cybernetics, evolutionary theory, and modernization theory. Parsons's social theory underwent several transformations as a direct result of his pursuit of the “seed ideas” thus acquired. For example, his general theory of action, with its overall framework of structural-functional analysis and the formulation of a four-function schema, resulted from his shift from the physicochemical to physiological model for the action systems; he later reorganized the four-function schema into one of hierarchical control in light of cybernetic concepts; and the climax of his career—his revision of structural functional theory to incorporate a new emphasis on social processes, and his adventure in comparative and historical studies of human societies leading to the three-stage model of world history—all took place after he reconverted to evolutionism and became an active participant in the discourse of modernization theory. The dissertation interprets this dynamic character of Parsons's scholarship in light of the “academic activism” manifested through his organizational efforts for creating the Department of Social Relations to realize his ideal of interdisciplinarity and through his persistent tendency to address his social concerns within his social theory.