ABSTRACT
As a social science and a discipline that “explores aspects of human society,” sociology deals with questions that are of crucial importance to human life, among them, themes such as: social behavior, institutions, empirical investigation, social structure, agency, and social policy. The popular wisdom (Surowiecki, 2005) in the definition of a “social issue,” however, underscores the insight that as a science the study of society is doubly challenged. While the heart of all scientific endeavor is the ongoing concern with clarification and critique which may cause differences of opinion and even academic conflicts (Kuhn, 1970/ 1962), the consensual object of study for sociology, society, is a collection of entities that are incessantly moved cognitively and affectively by “social issues.” Thus, incisive debates and prickly controversies are inevitable in the evolution of sociology.
