ABSTRACT
Introductory remarks Over the last half-century, Talcott Parsons produced a body of work which was enormous in its scope, depth and continuity. No sociologist in the past has been able to escape the influence of this work, and not only sociologists but other social scientists too will inevitably meet and have to consider his work in future. On this point sociologists of all persuasions are agreed. The work began with Parsons’s dissertation at Heidelberg on the concept of capitalism in the writings of Max Weber and Werner Sombart.1 Several essays on Alfred Marshall and Vilfredo Pareto extended these early studies.2 A first culmination point in this theoretical development was reached with The Structure of Social Action, a book which has become a classic in its own right through its constructive interpretation of the classic authors.3 The remaining stages of Parsons’s development are likewise marked by major publications, the last of which is the collection Action Theory and the Human Condition.4 It has become an obligation for every sociologist, not only those working directly on theoretical questions but also all those engaged in the various fields of practical applications, to take into consideration Parsons’s work-however complete or incomplete, correct or incorrect, it may turn out to be. Although firmly anchored in the sociological tradition, Parsons’s work has an inherent scope which lends it a significance for modern thought far beyond the confines of sociology. It is especially relevant to all sciences of human action.
