Lundberg, George A.

A Dictionary of Sociology | 1998 | 700+ words | Copyright

Lundberg, George A. (1895–1966) An influential American sociologist, vigorous proponent of a neo-positivist approach to the study of social behaviour, most notably in his books Foundations of Sociology (1939) and Can Science Save Us? (1947). Lundberg argued that, for sociology to be a science, it must model its theories and methods on those of the natural sciences. His work is therefore characterized by behaviourism and an emphasis on quantification. He was opposed to introspection, although he accepted the study of values and ideals as a task for sociology, providing these could be defined operationally in an explicit and quantifiable way. (He was, for example, an enthusiast of attitude scales.) Arguing for science over tradition and religious beliefs, he claimed that in science lay the hope for the future, since humanity must become more rational or else fail to survive.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

GORDON MARSHALL. "Lundberg, George A." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

GORDON MARSHALL. "Lundberg, George A." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-LundbergGeorgeA.html

GORDON MARSHALL. "Lundberg, George A." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-LundbergGeorgeA.html

Learn more about citation styles