CHRIS MARTIN: How Ideology Has Hindered Sociological Insight, summarized.

Earlier this year, I published a paper on the problems that sociology faces because of ideological homogeneity. You can read the full paper at The American Sociologist or get an ungated copy here. Here’s a summary of the some points that I make. . . .

There are three paths leading from ideological homogeneity to disciplinary stagnation. First, ideologically similar people have similar taboos . . .

This issue has been a huge problem in the area of stereotype research, and Lee Jussim has written extensively about it.

Second, people rely on limited data for their scientific conclusions, because ideologically inclined people are more likely to collect and recall evidence that support their position. Consider the issue of White privilege. . . .

To my knowledge, only one sociologist–Arthur Sakamoto–has tried to call attention to these inconsistencies. . . .

Third, there is limited empathic understanding of the ideological outgroup.

Read the rest for the details.