Social forecasting and the problem of changing values: With special reference to Soviet and East European writings

Aktualiteit En Die Kennissosiologie Ontwikkelingsneigings En Die Opkoms Van Die Radikale Sosiologie: 1967–1969

We have grown accustomed to looking at the tasks of sociology from the standpoint of ideological struggles and ideological confrontation of the socialist countries with the Atlantic bloc, in the light of the tempestuous events of 1968. Under such an approach, first place is always given to those tasks that have to do with the ideological role of our discipline — i.e., its role in shaping political views and formulating propositions, hypotheses, and theories to explain the social processes arising in the world of today and capable of influencing political convictions, positions, and actions of significance in political struggle. At the same time, less attention is paid to the cognitive value of these theories, their practical significance in the solution of various pressing problems arising in contemporary society on the basis of changes consequent upon scientific and technological progress, the improvement of the organization of labor and rationalization of the processes of economic decision-making, chang...

Jan Szczepanski

Papers

Marxist Sociology in the Worldwide Sociological Movement