ABSTRACT
On examining the differences between modern sociological titans such as Samuel Stouffer and C. Wright Mills, what remain are the basic questions of contemporary sociological theory: Should sociology, concern itself with its own history as part of theory or view its history as part of a humanistic hubris which is better flushed out and forgotten? The idea of sociology as an occupation squares well with the "good craftsman" view. Those who conceive of sociology as an occupation constitute the particular pairing we will call mainliners—those who are in the center of sociological activities and disputes. Without wishing to minimize the contributions of the "marginal," it must be said that the main struggle for the emergence of a new sociology can be engaged in only by the "mainliners." The emergence of different styles and strategies in sociology can only augur well for the future development of what is, after all, a public body of information produced by scientific men.
