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Peter L. Berger and Arnold Gehlen : secularization, institutions and social order
Turner, Bryan Stanley
Turner, Bryan Stanley
Author
Abstract
For sociologists of my generation, our introduction to undergraduate sociology was typically through Peter L. Berger’s Invitation to Sociology (1963). I still possess my Penguin paperback copy, which I bought while at the University of Leeds in 1968. The Invitation is well written and packed with illustrations that an average student could understand and remember. The basic theory behind the book is somewhat hidden, and few students would have taken much notice of the limited references in the footnotes to the German sociologist Arnold Gehlen (1904–1976), who in many ways is the theoretical backbone of the book. Gehlen’s sociology is complex and challenging, but the basic idea is that animals are driven and determined by their instincts, while humans also have instincts, their lives are determined and guided by...
Keywords
Sociology, Peter L. Berger, Arnold Gehlen
Date
2023
Type
Book chapter
Journal
Book
The Anthem Companion to Peter Berger
Volume
Issue
Page Range
61-73
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
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Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
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Controlled
Notes
© Anthem Press, 2023.