Book SummaryThe Sociological Imagination, by C. Wright Mills

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Sociological Imagination

In The Sociological Imagination, professor and sociologist C. Wright Mills explains what kind of social science—that is, science that studies human society and its institutions—contributes to a free and open society. He argues that to protect freedom, social scientists must develop a “sociological imagination”: the ability to understand the relationship between a society and the individuals living in it. Additionally, Mills critiques other contemporary approaches to social science and how they fail to protect—and in some cases, actively threaten—free society.

(Shortform note: Throughout his book, Mills argues for a return to the ideals of...

The Sociological Imagination Summary Part 1: The Main Goal of Social Science

Mills argues that the main goal of social science must be the preservation of freedom. In Part 1 of our guide, we’ll explain Mills’s definition of freedom as well as the contemporary trends he says threaten the possibility of a free society.

Defining Freedom

Mills defines freedom as the ability to understand, debate over, and decide between choices—particularly in a social and political context. Freedom, explains Mills, is the main mechanism for making social and political decisions. All three components of his definition contribute to decision making:

1. Freedom allows people to understand problems and the choices they have to address them.
2. Freedom allows people to debate over choices of how to respond to problems.
3. Freedom allows people to decide on a specific response.

(Shortform note: While many other social scientists try to use their work to benefit a free and open society, they often differ in how they try to achieve this goal. Often, social scientists suggest that their work should [inform the policymaking of governments...

The Sociological Imagination Summary Part 2: The Importance of Sociological Imagination

After explaining why social scientists must preserve freedom, Mills then discusses how their work can do so. He argues that to preserve freedom, social scientists use “sociological imagination” (recall: this is the ability to connect a society’s history to the personal lives of the people in it). This often means connecting personal problems in the lives of individuals to social problems that affect entire societies.

For example: A personal problem is that Joe’s marriage is falling apart. A social problem is that half of US marriages end in divorce. Sociological imagination helps a social scientist connect these two examples: They might look at Joe’s personal problems and see if many other American couples have the same challenges. Or, they might study the social problem of power dynamics in American marriages in a way that helps explain Joe’s collapsing marriage.

Part 2 of our guide explains why a sociological imagination preserves freedom and how social scientists can adopt a sociological imagination in their work.

Shortform Commentary: Is Sociological Imagination Paradoxical?

One scholar argues that [Mills’s conception of sociological imagination and his...

The Sociological Imagination Summary Part 3: The Flaws of Grand Theory

Now that we understand how sociological imagination preserves freedom, we can explore Mills’s critiques of other sociological approaches. He explains contemporary trends in social science and why they fail to preserve freedom. In Parts 3 and 4 of our guide, we’ll look at the two main approaches that he critiques: grand theory and abstracted empiricism.

(Shortform note: To fully understand Mills’s criticisms, it’s important to understand the personal context behind The Sociological Imagination. The book acts as Mills’s personal reflection on his career and his condemnation of academic sociology before leaving the field entirely. Perhaps due to this, many of Mills’s criticisms are personal—in a break from academic norms, he refers to several of his colleagues by name. This suggests that the following arguments aren’t just discussions of academic methods, but reflect a deeper concern and dissatisfaction with social science as a whole.)

We’ll start by discussing grand theory: a social science approach that attempts to define universal truths about the nature of society. We’ll define the main ideas and methods behind this...

The Sociological Imagination Summary Part 4: The Flaws of Abstracted Empiricism

Mills acknowledges that the negative impact of grand theory is relatively low compared to the main target of his criticism: an approach he calls “abstracted empiricism.” This approach doesn’t attempt to place social science work in the context of people’s lives or major social problems—Mills explains that this is what makes it “abstracted.” Instead, it focuses entirely on “empirical evidence”: data and observations gained primarily through methods like surveys, opinion polls, and interviews.

(Shortform note: For an example of the methodology and theory behind abstracted empiricism, we can look to one of the social scientists Mills criticizes: sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld. Lazarsfeld conducted some of the first-ever market research, and refined the use of focus groups in empirical studies. He also wrote Mathematical Thinking in the Social Sciences, a guide for using statistics in social science, and several famous studies based heavily on empirical data. Lazarsfeld suggested that the work of...

The Sociological Imagination Summary Flaws of Abstracted Empiricism

Mills explains that the flaws of abstracted empiricism are the two main assumptions built into the approach: the definitions of “provability” and “practicality.” He argues that these definitions are narrow and flawed to the point where abstracted empiricism can’t create social science that preserves freedom—and sometimes creates social science that harms freedom.

In this section, we’ll explore the following:

1. The flaws in the definition of “provability”
2. The flaws in the definition of “practicality”
3. How abstracted empiricism threatens freedom

The Flaws of “Provability”

Mills explains that abstracted empiricism uses a definition of “provability” that doesn’t properly apply to the social sciences. Abstracted empiricism attempts to use the scientific method to “prove” a claim, measuring and observing to study a hypothesis to determine if it’s correct or incorrect. But the social sciences don’t just deal with correct and incorrect—they also study competing values and beliefs. In such a circumstance, there is no simple “correct” or “incorrect,” therefore, the scientific method doesn’t actually “prove” anything.

For example: An abstract empiricist studies...

Shortform Exercise: Practice Sociological Imagination

Consider your own society and life experience to practice using sociological imagination.

Describe a personal problem in your life that you think might connect to a larger social problem. (For example: You might have student loan debt.)