Global communications - Essay Example

The article further describes the condition known as sociological illiteracy and compares it to an individual being scientifically illiterate. Just as a scientifically illiterate person may have little or no idea about science, a person uneducated in the social sciences would be quite helpless when it comes to using or understanding the insights provided by fields such as sociology. The problem with this sort of illiteracy is also an issue of acknowledgement since a person may be quite willing to admit that they know very little about a scientific or artistic field but they may believe internally that hey are quite aware of social issues and the field of sociology.

This conceptual awareness is weak and what adds to some people’s social illiteracy is the lack of acknowledgement that they are not fully aware of sociology as a science. They do not recognize that they are ignorant of social theories that can explain the shape of society as well as show why the social order operates the way it does. Instead of seeking proper knowledge and the evidence gathered by sociologists, socially ignorant individuals may take their own personal beliefs to be valid scientific knowledge.

By using the schemas they have about the social system they live in, socially ignorant people use their own assumptions to not only view the world but also to explain it to others. In fact, the individuals who are suffering from social illiteracy are also suffering from the lack of sociological imagination. It is certainly true that many people can work as volunteers and even work as social workers in society but for the most part, they are unable to see beyond what they are doing. The issues concerning policy making and the problems of creating an effective social structure remain elusive to them.

Without sociological imagination, it is impossible for them to see how their contribution to their sphere in a positive manner is