In addition to discussing how sociologists analyze current events, Chapter 1 describes how sociology involves applying a balanced approach toward morality and belief systems. For example, those with diametrically opposed belief systems often view each other as immoral, when in fact their conflicts are merely the result of the social constructs to which they subscribe. The authors state that there are two overriding principles associated with studying the "social world": first, one must have the ability to observe and express a desire to find answers (12). This definition identifies the state of inquiry that is imperative to sociology; while there is still some confusion to exactly what is meant by the term "social world," the definition captures the importance of observation in this field of study.

Chapter 1 also presents some basic facts associated with sociology; there are a number of different professions in which sociologists work, although the vast majority work in colleges and universities. The chapter concludes with a description...

For example, the authors provide a list of common sense truisms and another list of common sense statements that are antithetical to the former list. The statement "birds of a feather flock together," is commonly spoken as though it were self-evident; meanwhile, the idiom "opposites attract" is also seen as self-evident, even though it is antithetical to the former statement. This is relevant to sociology because sociological inquiry involves distancing oneself from adhering to one viewpoint, instead considering an issue from both sides of an argument. The first chapter of Our Social World thus provides a comprehensive overview of sociology while framing sociology as a method for engaging…