Talcott Parsons - Economic Sociologist Of The 20Th Century

Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) was an influential American sociologist whose work, related but not reducible to functionalism, sought an overarching grand theory for the social sciences. One of his noteworthy theoretical contributions in pursuit of this goal was his proposed AGIL paradigm, which holds that societal action systems are composed of four interrelated and interpenetrating subsystems: the behavioral systems of its members (A), the personality systems of those members (G), the society as a system of social organization (I) and the cultural system of that society (L). This volume opens with a transcript of a March 20, 1973 Brown University seminar in which Parsons answered questions regarding his ideas and his influences, followed by three contemporary responses to the seminar. Five contemporary papers that either are about Parsons and his work or represent research "in the tradition of Parsons" complement these materials. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Laurence S. Moss is a professor of Economics at Babson College.