ABSTRACT
Pitirim Sorokin is one of the most erudite, stimulating, and controversial figures in the history of sociology. His works opened new fields of study, broadened traditional sociological concerns, and wrestled with the ultimate questions of life. In a career that spanned six decades, Sorokin made substantial contributions to the study of rural sociology, social mobility, war and revolution, altruism, social change, the sociology of knowledge, and sociological theory. In many of these areas, his works defined the field at the time. Sorokin began life among the Komi people in northern Russia in 1889. The Komi are at least bilingual, frequently speaking Komi, Russian, and Finnish. Most work as farmers and hunters. Sorokin’s early Harvard years witness another shift in his intellectual development and sociology. Sorokin’s theory of ultimate reality began with an analysis of social order. In Integral philosophy, Sorokin brings together the religious, scientific, and rational aspects of his own experience.
