ABSTRACT
Sociology is a social enterprise; it is not easy to change cherished values, to redefine well-loved roles, or to confront the troublesome issues of ethics and politics. Once the empirical world is openly approached, many political and ethical issues will be resolved. Only a science firmly grounded in the empirical world can offer prescriptions for social action. Black militants, drug users, and homosexuals warrant more consideration than a public rendering of their codes, ideologies, and political views. A value-laden sociology relevant to what happens in the empirical world must become relevant for those studied. If situations of social injustice are uncovered they must be revealed, and alternative lines of action must be specified. A final principle can be offered. Sociology will not become a full-fledged science until its practitioners learn to analyze their own activity self-consciously. Such an appraisal may lead to the development of a set of rules and guidelines to evaluate all aspects of the sociological act.
