Talcott Parsons was born in Colorado, United States of America, in 1902. He attended Amherst
College and the London School of Economics for his education. He initially had an interest in
economics and biology, but it wasn't until later that he turned his attention to the social sciences.
The University of Heidelberg granted him his doctorate. He translated Max Weber's The Protestant
Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism while studying there, introducing American scholars to European
sociology.
He initially taught sociology and economics at Harvard University. During Parsons' time as an
economics professor at Harvard, he became familiar with the writings of Émile Durkheim and Vilfredo
Pareto. He was greatly influenced by them. Parsons' inclusion of their research in his 1937 book The
Structure of Social Action brought him ever closer to the sociological viewpoint with which he became
most associated; functionalism.
In 1944, he became a professor and headed the brand-new social studies department for two years.
In 1949, Parsons presided over the American Sociological Society.