Towards a sociology of social anthropology

Conclusion

The framework that I have used, I suggest, provides insights into how the paradigms in our discipline, or any discipline for that matter, are generated, become dominant and, ultimately, are replaced. Since the formulation of scientific theory is in part a social process, we may also have gained insights into the way this process is speeded up or slowed down.

Let me summarize the essential steps in the argument:

• (1) The point of departure is the assumption that human beings seek to undertake or refrain from undertaking action in order to do that which they find most satisfying. In short, they try to free themselves from constraints over their capacity to pursue their goals.

• (2) All social relations are asymmetrical. Those with relatively more power can more easily attain their goals. Access to resources needed to accomplish those ends if often blocked by those with relatively more power. Therefore those with relatively less power seek new ways to acquire the necessary power. They do this by thinking up new procedures or by adopting ones available in the environment. These are forms of innovation. There is consequently an impetus to change in the asymmetry inherent in all social relations.

• (3) Acceptance of an innovation depends on what it is as well as on the climate of opinion and the power configuration of its opponents and advocates. Thus innovation and its acceptance are dependent upon processes going on both within and outside the community. Successful innovations are cumulative. In the long run most can be seen as contributing to the emancipation of man from the constraints of his social and physical environment. Those whose interests are threatened by new developments will oppose them. They may succeed in blocking them for relatively long periods of time because of a particular configuration of power. There may thus be temporary involution or apparent stability.

• (4) In social theory as in technology and culture, the pace of change is increasingly rapid. This is first of all because there is a cumulative effect of theories as well as political processes. Secondly increasing emancipation is reducing the power of the gate-keepers, thus allowing new ideas to penetrate into the scientific forum more rapidly. This is bringing about growing specialization and an increase in the number of scientific communities. The growing number of scientific communities causes an expansion of personnel, and thus the enlargement in absolute numbers of potential innovators.