The Practical Use of Sociological Knowledge

Sociological knowledge seeps into practical use in a great variety of ways. The sociologist can appear in several different capacities when he helps shape practice and policy. At present we can distinguish between at least five varieties: 1. The sociologist as a decision maker 2. The sociologist as an educator of students 3. The sociologist as a commentator and critic 4. The sociologist as a researcher for clients 5. The sociologist as a consultant Let us deal with them in turn with special attention to the last two since they represent genuine applied science. 1. The sociologist as a decision maker A great effort must be made to distinguish the roles of the sociologist on one hand and the tole of the decision maker on the other. It is essential to realize that use of social science in the shaping of policy decision- an idea which we advocate- it not at all the same thing as use of the social scientist as a policy an