soft determinism

Examples of soft determinism in the following topics:

• Ogburn's Theory

  • Thus, his theory is often associated with technological determinism, a reductionist theory that presumes a society's technology drives the development of its social structure and cultural values.
  • Soft determinism, as the name suggests, is a more passive view of the way technology interacts with socio-political situations.
  • Soft determinists still subscribe to the fact that technology is the guiding force in our evolution, but maintain that we have a chance to make decisions regarding the outcomes of a situation.
  • Ogburn, in fact, proposed a slightly different variant of soft determinism, in which society must adjust to the consequences of major inventions, but often does so only after a period of cultural lag.

• Labeling Theory

  • The theory is concerned with how the self-identity and the behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them.
  • There are two distinctions in labeling: hard labeling and soft labeling.
  • People who believe in soft labeling believe that mental illnesses do, in fact, exist.
  • Unlike the supporters of hard labeling, soft labeling supporters believe that mental illnesses are not socially constructed but are objective problems.

• The Labeling Approach

  • The theory is concerned with how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them.
  • Soft labeling refers to people who believe that mental illnesses do, in fact, exist, and are not entirely socially constructed.

• Theism and Monotheism

  • Soft polytheism views multiple gods as being connected under the umbrella of a greater whole.
  • Some forms of Hinduism like Smartism/Advaita Vedanta are considered soft polytheistic traditions.

• Work and Technology

  • The service sector consists of the "soft" parts of the economy—activities where people offer their knowledge and time to improve productivity, performance, potential, and sustainability.

• Sociology and Science

  • The inability of sociology and other social sciences to perfectly predict the behavior of humans or to fully comprehend a different culture has led to the social sciences being labeled "soft sciences. " While some might consider this label derogatory, in a sense it can be seen as an admission of the remarkable complexity of humans as social animals.

• Nature vs. Nurture: A False Debate

  • Is nature (an individual's innate qualities) or nurture (personal experience) more important in determining physical and behavioral traits?
  • A "genetic predisposition to violence" could be a mitigating factor in crime if the science behind genetic determinants can be found conclusive.
  • For example, researchers have long studied twins to determine the influence of biology on personality traits.
  • The nature versus nurture debate conjures deep philosophical questions about free will and determinism.
  • Similarly, the "nurture" side may be criticized for implying that we behave in ways determined by our environment, not ourselves.

• The Role of Biology

  • Typically, a person's genotype (genetic makeup) and phenotype (observable traits) are used to determine a person's sex.
  • While sex is the determination of whether a person is biologically male or female, gender is the sociocultural determination of

• Tradition vs. Science

  • Sociology's inability to perfectly predict the behavior of humans has led some to label it a "soft science. " While some might consider this label derogatory, in a sense it can be seen as an admission of the remarkable complexity of humans as social animals.

• History

  • The inability of sociology and other social sciences to perfectly predict the behavior of humans or to fully comprehend a different culture has led to the social sciences being labeled "soft sciences. " While some might consider this label derogatory, in a sense it can be seen as an admission of the remarkable complexity of humans as social animals.