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Social Engineering: Is This Really As Bad As It Sounds?

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Sociological Practice

Abstract

Sociological practice and clinical sociology need to be supplemented by an engineering wing in the discipline. Engineering is, ultimately, the application of general theoretical principles to concrete problems, and there is no reason why sociology cannot also be an engineering discipline. There is nothing inherent in the subject matter of sociology that prevents this engineering orientation from emerging. Rather, the prospects for an engineering approach in sociology depend upon the development of more precise theories, the testing of such theories, and the willingness of practitioners to use theoretical ideas when addressing the problems of clients.

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  1. University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California, 92521

    Jonathan H. Turner

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  1. Jonathan H. Turner
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Turner, J.H. Social Engineering: Is This Really As Bad As It Sounds?. Sociological Practice 3, 99–120 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011526902178

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