SECTION A SOCIAL STRUCTURE 



(Hail 15, September 21, 10 a. m.) 



CHAIRMAN: PROFESSOR FREDERICK W. MOORE, Vanderbilt University. 

 SPEAKERS: FIELD MARSHAL GUSTAV RATZENHOFER, Vienna. 



PROFESSOR FERDINAND TOENNIES, University of Kiel. 

 PROFESSOR LESTER F. WARD, U. S. National Museum. 

 SECRETARY: PROFESSOR JEROME DOWD, University of Wisconsin. 



THE PROBLEMS OF SOCIOLOGY 



BY GUSTAV RATZENHOFER 



(Translated from the German by courtesy of Professor Albion W. Small, Chicago 



University) 



[Gustav Ratzenhofer, Late Field Marshal of the Austrian Army. b. July 4, 1842, 

 Vienna, Austria. Educated for military service, and served with distinction in 

 the armies of the Empire, and later in the Ministry of War at Vienna. A deep 

 student of sociological problems, and an authoritative writer on the subject. 

 The Congress and its object appealed strongly to his gallant spirit, and although 

 ill during the summer of 1904, he determined, against the advice of family and 

 physicians, to keep his promise to be present. He came, accompanied by his son, 

 and took part in all the proceedings, which he greatly enjoyed, and where he 

 was accorded the distinction and deference due to his age and rank. On the 

 return voyage his strength failed, and he died just before the ship arrived in 

 port. The burial was on Oct. 14, in Vienna. Editor.] 



IT seems to me necessary to introduce the discussion of my theme 

 by explaining what I understand by sociology, what its tasks are, 

 and what the methods are which seem to me appropriate to this 

 science. 



By sociology I understand the science of the reciprocal relation- 

 ships of human beings ; its task is to discover the fundamental 

 tendencies of social evolution and the conditions of the general 

 welfare of human beings. 



In accordance with tfcis conception, sociology should lead to pro- 

 motion of the common weal on a level above that of naive empir- 

 icism; viz., on that of conscious and purposeful action. Sociology 

 should do for social weal what medicine, for example, tries to do 

 for bodily welfare. A scientifically sanctioned practice should take 

 the place of the prevailing quackery in treatment of the social body. 

 In earlier times the various creeds and churches were zealous in 

 trying to regulate social relationships. More recently this has been 

 the function of political authorities. Because, however, neither of 

 these agencies has in practice very often secured the common weal 

 it came to pass that the elucidation of this question fell largely into 



