Sumblog#1: The Sociological Imagination

     Greetings reader! This blog post briefly covers my thoughts regarding C.Wright Mills philosophy on the "sociological imagination".

       I don't recall covering much of this topic in class, but I found the concept intriguing. In brief, and condensed down to two sentences, the sociological imagination is  "...the capacity to shift from one perspective to another - from the political to the psychological; from examination of a single family to comparative assessment of the national budgets of the world; from the theological school to the military establishment; from considerations of an oil industry to studies of contemporary poetry. It is the capacity to range from the most impersonal and remote transformations to the most intimate features of the human self - and to see the relations between the two" (Lemer Charles; 267).

       Zoinks and wow! That's a pretty all-encompassing look at things.  ...I like it.

       I had to wonder who has the ability to do all that. A deeper read clarified that  Mr. Mills wasn't infering one person possesses all this insight (...or was he?).  Rather, if a "sociological imagination" can become more commonplace, then "... - human reason itself - will come to play a greater role in human affairs" (Lemer Charles; 268-269).

                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOQdUtBWZEo

       The above clip from the final episode of Northern Exposure reveals characters and contains no dialogue. One can observe the people and make assumptions, observations and guesses. What you can not possibly know, (unless you viewed the previous 100 episodes), is what brought them together, who they are, and most importantly - the relevance of this moment. Because I was invested heavily in this program, my insights will probably be more accurate and useful. And whether we are talking about a tv show or the real world, honest personal investment usually provides a better understanding of things. 

       In your personal life there are situations, programs, and events where you  have vastly superior knowledge than anyone else. You are able see how the smallest thing can affect large events - or how large events can affect personal ones. 

       This the sociological imagination in a nut-shell. 

       Perhaps if we were to all use our sociological imagination in conjunction for the common good,  there would be more ...common good. I believe this is the rational behind C. Wright Mills "Sociological Imagination" theory, otherwise, of what use is it to anyone?