Critical Sociology

Building upon the theory submitted in the previous issue of this journal, this article examines both similarities and differences with Engels' dialectics of nature. It argues that Engels' approach is unsuitable to reveal the specificity of society's movement towards both reproduction and supersession. It then considers the basic features of formal logic and compares them with dialectical logic. It stresses the class nature of formal logic and the conditions upon which the tools of formal logic (rather than formal logic itself) can be employed within dialectical reasoning. Particular attention is given to deduction and verification in dialectical and formal logic. Finally, Part II looks at Marx's Mathematical Manuscripts and argues, differently from other commentators, that the Manuscripts' real importance resides not in Marx's original method of differentiation but in their providing key insights into Marx's notion of dialectics. These insights are found to support the theory submitted in this work.

The Enron collapse in 2001 represented a high-water mark in the recent round of corporate scandals in the United States. In response to this crisis, the US government introduced the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Act or SOX) in July 2002. Until now, the debates have remained silent on the political and social dimensions of the Act. By situating the discourse of corporate governance within the context of capitalist society, I offer an alternative explanation of the role and significance of SOX. I argue that the pre-eminence of the corporate governance framework explains away the deeper causes of crisis by maintaining our focus on the symptoms, such as greed on the part of corporate executives, lack of transparency and an absence of accountability, as opposed to the structural causes connected to neoliberal-led restructuring of capitalist society and the contradictions therein.

The purpose of this article is to critique the main claim of the socially responsible (SR) investment industry: that through strategic investing investors can transform corporate power. I argue that businesses often respond to the demand by investors for short-term economic growth by making choices that run counter to the interests of corporate social responsibility; they reduce labor and material costs in ways that disrupt workers, communities and the environment. I demonstrate my theoretical claims using data from the 10 most common stocks selected by SR mutual funds. I call these stocks the SR Big Ten. A simple roll call of the SR Big Ten, as well as a thorough examination of each stock within it, reveals how problematic it is for individuals to rely on investments to transform the corporate world.

In this article I argue that pedagogical reform is needed in the current Westernized teaching of sociology to create a new, more equal, humane and ecologically sound world. Present teaching methods encourage instrumental approaches to studying and learning. As a result, students seem to have grown indifferent to learning, becoming mere reflections of their study environment. In confronting the needed pedagogical reform, I focus on the smallest particle of higher education — the structure of the teaching and learning process in the sociology classroom, and suggest the implementation of collaborative learning situations.

This article investigates why science often does not speak with one voice within the context of environmental controversies. I argue that sociologists must be willing to turn to those processes and phenomena that are internal to science. In doing this, we find that many environmental conflicts are products, at least in part, of science itself. What is it about science that helps to breed these conflicts? In answering this question, this article first reflects upon the effects that disciplinary and methodological diversity have on scientific disputes. Attention then turns to the topics of proof and consensus, highlighting how these terms have often been employed to amplify conflict. I then speak to how science presupposes values. The article concludes by making policy-relevant suggestions about how to `do' environmental science in a way that acknowledges its various epistemic bright- and blind-spots.

This article reviews how introductory textbooks on criminology, geared toward the American market, have disproportionately ignored the subject matter of state crime. The authors present both qualitative and quantitative empirical evidence of coverage given to crimes of the state from leading introductory textbooks, and then pose several questions for future research that could provide answers as to why this is the case. Ross and Rothe then contacted the authors of these books to request feedback on their decision-making processes used for content inclusion and/or exclusion; specifically why their texts offered only limited coverage on state crime. The authors conclude that market dynamics, coupled with professional intransigence, has contributed to this state of affairs.

While it has become commonplace for mainstream media outlets to offer report and commentary on trends in economic globalization, it is rare for these same media outlets to exhibit self-awareness with regards to how the media has developed the forces of globalization. In this article, five academics from disparate disciplines in the humanities and social sciences address this impact, describe the negative consequences that the globalization of media has wrought in terms of social justice, and offer ideas concerning how activist academics might challenge the current direction of media globalization, both in their classrooms and in their activist endeavors.