Sociological Imagination

This is the term that C.W Mills, a re-know sociologist,coined to explain what he sees as the essential task of the social science: to facilitate self-understanding. Mills argues that if we are to understand ourselves in particular, and human behavior in general. Ht thinks that when facing dramatic social changing and development, what the ordinary people need are not only information, knowledge and skills but the quality of mind, which he called "Sociological Imagination"

By this, one is able to transcend personal troubles into public matters, and all the individuals problems are determined by social structure and social function. If only can one develop this sociological imagination, he/she will no longer see his/her biographies as isolated events but within the context of our society and its larger historical context.

Understanding the interconnection or intersection of biography and history is the first step in self-understanding. To develop the intellectual capacity or quality of mind we call the sociological imagination, Mills argues that we must be able to understand how society impacts on us, how society is structured and works, and how society changes and develops.

It seems to me that, to develop "sociological imagination" shall not only for sociologists, but also for ordinary people. Every of us should, ought to allow, have the power of thinking to understand our social setting, our past and our future. The power of thought in fact is the most powerful human capacity one can have, if you are what you think of, and you will be what you think of. Unfortunately, every ruling class, looking back to all history, all try to influence the way of people's thinking. For seemly self-protective functional rationals, they also often cause their own destruction without realizing.

Karl Marx certainly possessed vast sociological imagination. Marx argued that human productive activity and production relations determine the course of social development and social changes. Those who have ownership of production forces, like technology, private property, institutional power and tools etc, made of upper class while others without such but only labor power to sell made of lower class. The different social classes always become antagonistic and the force of class struggles will be the engine to push social development.

I admire Marx's powerful capacity in this intellectual sociological imagination, but I cannot help but knowing that not all the labor has price tag, for example, the mother labour is often free, but yet valuable, so does labor out of love.

In this ever fast developing world, I wish we shall not lost this power of thinking and quality of mind.