Epilogue: Towards Integral Social Sciences

Abstract

Sorokin’s thoughts on the integral method are very complex and it is very difficult to propose a synthesis, also because his scientific production consists of hundreds of pages over several books and articles. A core point in his theory of the integral method is that the latter is always directed at discussing the issue of knowledge and the means to reach it. For this reason, we will present a summary of these thoughts with the help of a graphic representation deriving from my personal interpretation. To do so, I adopted two premises: (1) Time and space are both constituent elements of social interaction processes; (2) The study of sociocultural phenomena must consider the three different levels of analysis of sociology and social sciences in general (macro, meso, and micro level). We do not end the discourse on Sorokin and the integral method, far from it. No theorization is concluded or coming to a close. Starting from the dialogue between different disciplines, we can imagine a propulsive push towards integrating knowledge systems from the less complex to the more complex ones, and vice versa.