Biological Explanation in Sociology

Abstract

Ritzer (1975) suggests that biological explanation may emerge as a new paradigm in sociology but incipient work in this area has not had much impact on the discipline. Some forms of biological explanation seem sociologically trivial, but at least three forms of explanation common in the discipline of biology have meaningful homologues in sociology: (1) species-wide human behavior may be explained as the result of biological evolution; (2) behavioral differences between humans, or between groups of humans, may be explained by genetic differences between the individuals or groups; and, (3) social interaction may be explained neurophysiologically in terms of organ systems, nerve impulses, hormones, etc. Each of these forms of biological explanation is meaningful in a sociological context, but each has severe limitations.