Elizabeth Whitworth, Author at Shortform Books

What Is Grand Theory—and What’s Wrong With It?

What is grand theory in sociology? How well does it uphold the main purpose of social science? In The Sociological Imagination, C. Wright Mills contends that not all approaches to social science are equal. He believes that his approach (sociological imagination) is the only way to preserve freedom. He offers a critique of other approaches, including grand theory, asserting that they fail to protect a free and open society in the way sociological imagination does. Let’s take a look at what grand theory is—and how Mills thinks it fails to deliver.

How to Care for Your Body: 4 Tips From Naval Ravikant

Why does Naval Ravikant prioritize physical health above everything else? What type of exercise does he recommend? Naval Ravikant strives to take care of his body, and he shares his own habits as recommendations for others. His preferences include a particular diet, a certain way of exercising, consideration for the immune system, and moderation or abstinence when it comes to things such as sugar and alcohol. He also explains why he puts a priority on physical health. Read more to learn Ravikant’s tips for how to care for your body.

Workplace Tribes: The Tribal Leadership Approach

What’s a tribe? Why do we carry out work as a tribe? How could our work improve if we paid more attention to the tribe’s culture? Tribal Leadership is an approach to organizational development that puts culture first. Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King contend that organizations succeed or fail on the strength of their cultures and that we can improve our organizations by upgrading our cultures. More specifically, we need to develop the tribes—groups that share ways of thinking, interacting, and working—that make up our organizations. Keep reading to learn more about workplace tribes and why culture is

How to Take Care of Your Mind: Naval Ravikant’s Tips

How often—and for how long—should you meditate? What’s the best way to learn? Why should you seek to live in the present? Naval Ravikant believes that you should keep your mind conditioned to support your happiness. He asserts that, if your mind isn’t functioning well, you’ll have a harder time dealing with life circumstances. To that end, he discusses four ways to keep your mind at peak function: meditate, learn, maintain social contact, and live in the present. Keep reading for details on Ravikant’s advice on how to take care of your mind.

Tribal Leadership: Review, Context, Impact, & More

Who wrote Tribal Leadership? What are the book’s strengths and weaknesses? What impact has it had? The book Tribal Leadership was first published in 2008 by Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins. It’s the only book on which Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King collaborated. In the book, they describe how to improve an organization by leveling up its culture. An organization is made of tribes—socially networked groups of 20 to 150 people—and the cultures of those tribes determine the organization’s performance and its members’ happiness. Keep reading for our Tribal Leadership review, covering the book’s authors, context, impact,

The 3 Benefits of Sociological Imagination: Seeing More

What can social scientists do to improve their work? How can they do a better job of connecting personal and social problems? In The Sociological Imagination, C. Wright Mills advocates for a different way of doing social science. Sociological imagination involves the development of one’s own methods, which Mills argues makes it easier to make a connection between personal and social problems. He believes that using sociological imagination can help social scientists more easily recognize their own bias, understand others’ perspectives, and maintain a broad scope. Keep reading to better understand the three benefits of sociological imagination.

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson

Who’s Naval Ravikant? What wisdom does he have to share about building wealth and happiness in life? Many everyday people strive for wealth and happiness, but most of us struggle along the way and very few seem to achieve both. Still fewer share their insights about how to get there. Entrepreneur Naval Ravikant has become known for doing this online, via Twitter, podcasts, interviews, and blog posts. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a collection of those insights on wealth and happiness compiled by business blogger Eric Jorgenson. Keep reading for an overview of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by

What Is the Purpose of Social Science? Freedom

What is the purpose of social science? What should it be? In The Sociological Imagination, professor and sociologist C. Wright Mills argues that the main purpose of social science must be the preservation of freedom. In his definition of freedom, Mills directly connects it to our choices. He also discusses the contemporary trends he says threaten the possibility of a free society. Keep reading to learn Mills’s perspective on the purpose of social science.

The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills

What is “sociological imagination”? Is it a better approach to social science? How does it protect human freedom? In The Sociological Imagination, professor and sociologist C. Wright Mills explains what kind of social science—that is, science that studies human society and its institutions—contributes to a free and open society. He argues that, to protect freedom, social scientists must develop a “sociological imagination”: the ability to understand the relationship between a society and the individuals living in it. Additionally, Mills critiques other contemporary approaches to social science and how they fail to protect—and in some cases, actively threaten—free society. Here’s our

The Habits of Happy People: Acceptance and Self-Care

What habits can make you happier? What everyday choices can you make to find greater satisfaction in life? Naval Ravikant believes that happiness is a choice. The right habits will make that choice stick. Ravikant outlines several habits relating to acceptance and self-care that he argues are essential to finding contentment in life. Let’s unpack these habits of happy people.