Society Archives

Jared Diamond’s Theory on the Fertile Crescent

What is Jared Diamond’s theory about food production and farming in Eurasia? What factors created the Fertile Crescent? According to historian, geographer, and ornithologist Jared Diamond, Eurasia developed and thrived thanks to its food production. One huge factor in that food production was the fact Eurasia was located in the Fertile Crescent, a geographical location perfectly suited for domesticable plants. Here’s a closer look at Jared Diamond’s theory on Eurasia and the Fertile Crescent.

Guns, Germs, & Steel by Jared Diamond: Overview

What is Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond about? What are the key takeaways from the book? Guns, Germs, and Steel is Jared Diamond’s attempt to determine why societies historically took different paths. It was named one of TIME’s best non-fiction books of all time, awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1998, and turned into a PBS documentary released in 2005. Keep reading for an overview of Diamond’s award-winning book.

The Importance of Gender-Disaggregated Data

Why is gender-disaggregated data important? How are women discriminated against at a government level? Gender-disaggregated data is simply data that is separated by gender, but it’s extremely important. If the government collects gender-specific data, we can improve women’s standing in society. Check out the importance of gender-disaggregated data below.

Invisible Women: Data Bias Works in Men’s Favor

How does Invisible Women define data bias? How does data bias hurt women on a healthcare and safety level? As explained in Invisible Women, data bias occurs when socio-cultural prejudices affect systematic processes. The author, Caroline Criado Perez, specifically talks about how a lack of information about the female experience affects women’s health, safety, and economic standing. Continue reading to learn more about gender data bias.

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez: Overview

What is Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez about? What should you take away from the book? In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez explains that most humans operate on a male-as-default mindset. This mindset leads to and is reinforced by a gender data gap—a lack of information about the female experience—that ultimately harms women’s health, safety, and economic standing. Keep reading for a brief overview of Invisible Women.

Abstracted Empiricism: The Benefits and Flaws

Is abstracted empiricism a constructive approach to social science? What are its flaws? In The Sociological Imagination, C. Wright Mills contends that not all ways of doing social science are equal. He believes that his way (sociological imagination) is the only one that serves the main purpose of social science—preserving freedom. He offers a critique of other approaches, especially abstracted empiricism, asserting that they fail to protect a free and open society in the way sociological imagination does. Keep reading for Mills’s evaluation of abstracted empiricism.

Female Crash-Test Dummies Can Make Women Safer

Why don’t car companies use female crash-test dummies? Why are women more likely to be injured in car crashes? In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez says that the lack of female crash-test dummies used by car companies is affecting women’s safety. She attests that cars aren’t designed to protect women’s bodies—only men’s. Check out why female dummies should be used in regulatory car crash tests.

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.

2 Women’s Safety Issues Caused by the Data Gap

What safety issues do women face? How does the gender data gap affect women’s safety? Caroline Criado Perez contends that the gender data gap—a lack of information about the female experience—harms women’s health, safety, and economic standing. In Invisible Women, she says that the data gap causes issues in public transport and disaster response. Read more to learn about women’s safety issues on public transport and in a disaster.

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.