ABSTRACT
Sociology in Great Britain developed vigorously and meeting with general recognition which was possible to establish the first chair of sociology at London University, and Hobhouse became its first occupant. Sociological influences were widespread, but the development did not lead to the foundation of sociology as an independent science. Even today sociology is often, either implicitly or explicitly, closely associated with social reform. It is true that its development is always accelerated by periods of crisis, but in Britain, up to the outbreak of World War I at least, private philanthropy and self-help were sufficient to ameliorate social abuses. For Morris Ginsberg, sociology was not just one particular social science, but dealt with social life as a whole, though quite naturally it concerned itself primarily with social institutions. While also interesting itself in biology, ethnology, and psychology, it would not be a mere summation of data, but would take on a more philosophical aspect.
