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Sociology IOI
way, as a directive to the kind of research considered urgent. According to them,
one should make empirical observations and try to interpret them in the light
of the inffuence of basic socio-economic factors. Let other students take up other
aspects of the complex web of society.
Concrete Marxist sociologists recognize that they are setting their sights high.
Mrs. AndrCeva stresses ‘the methodological difficulties which confront Marxist
sociologists’ (p. 60 f). She proposes a close collaboration between sociology,
other social sciences, and philosophy. Other authors stress the need for using
and combining all possible research techniques: surveys, observation, qualitative
analysis, use of historical materials, etc. They wil find many Western
sociologists in full agreement although not as optimistic. They have long worked
for such a synthesis and have not been too successful. We must simply have to
wait to see whether Marxist sociologists, guided and inspired by their basic
working hypothesis, wil have more luck.
Sometimes the optimism of our Communist colleagues seems to result from
their newness at their work. Thus, €or instance, Szczepariski regrets that as
yet, few theories of the middle range have been brought forward in the Communist
countries. He believes this to be due to the fact that until recently theory
formation was reserved for ‘party leaders and the resolutions of central committees.
The social scientists themselves did not endeavour to present new formulations
because they did not want to expose themselves to ideological conflicts’
(p. 53). As I mentioned above, the paucity of middle range theories in Western
countries is as great and may be due to intrinsic intellectual difficulties.
We know of only one case in which a Marxist has refrained from viewing the
tenets of historical materialism as absolutely established. While he does not
doubt their truth, the Polish sociologist, Andrzej Malewski, has made an effort
to formulate them in such a way that concrete research can add further evidence.
In an article entitled ‘The Empirical Content of the Theory of Historical
Materialism’, he divides classical Marxist ideas into three groups.53
A. Those which assert that the situation in which people live determines their
collective attitudes and behaviour.
B. Those which assert that society is a combination of groups with conflicting
interests.
C. Those which deal with changes in the social structures.
Under each of these, the author starts with the writings of classical Marxism,
but then translates this into a language which is amenable to social research.
To illustrate this, we select one proposition from each group, preserving Malewski’s
numbering system.
A-I If a group possesses certain privileges, the majority of the members of this
group will oppose ideologies which imply the abolition of these advantages.
B-3 A social group is the stronger the more property it owns, the more indispensible
it is in the process of production, the more numerous it is, the
better organized and the more it controls military power.
C-3 Of two conflicting groups, victory wil come lo the one whose interests are
parallel to the development of the means of production and to general
economic progress.