“Invitation to Sociology” Discussion Questions (Peter Berger)
1. What traits does a good sociologist have?
2. What role should values have in sociological research?
3. What are “appropriate” topics for sociological research? Is anything “offlimits”?
4. How do sociological questions differ from other social scientists?
5. Which discipline does sociology need?
6. How is the sociologist’s task (besides the subject matter) different from the
geologist, chemist, and other natural scientists?
7. Who should “stay away” from sociology?
8. How might Berger respond to the statement that “anyone can be a
sociologist because we all have experience with human behavior”?
9. What does Berger consider the first “truism” of sociology? Can you think of
an example of this?