ABSTRACT
The strength and depth of the critiques of sociology depend on the expectations its practicioners have made upon it. Sociology was to become an instrument of political partisanship to be deployed in the political battles of the times to deal mortal blows to the corrupt social order. Sociology has been in the forefront of the idiosyncratic crusade on behalf of certain victim-groups, propagating an outlook that readily grants victim status to a variety of groups as long as their grievances can be explained by currently acceptable politicial criteria and their plight blamed on the social system. At the same time sociology of late has shown considerable indifference to other, more traditional victim groups which are no longer singled out for compassionate attention. The intensity of political-philosophical commitments represents a threat to sociology since it creates strong dispositions to reach predetermined conclusions and tends to merge research and teaching with advocacy, lobbying, exhortation and "consciousness level raising".
