# who is the most influential living sociologist **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168 "2015-04-09T00:17:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@thanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thanatic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/1 "2015-04-09T00:17:40Z")
who would you consider the most influential sociologist in the world ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/2 "2015-04-09T00:36:01Z")
Please clarify: do you mean influential within the field of sociology or influential in setting public policy? ---
**Author:** ![thanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@thanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thanatic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/3 "2015-04-09T01:37:47Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Please clarify: do you mean influential within the field of sociology or influential in setting public policy? in the purely academic sense within the field of sociology ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/4 "2015-04-09T01:56:16Z")
Good question. I have no idea personally. Plus the lines blur between sociologist, political scientist, evolutionary biologist, etc. ---
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/5 "2015-04-09T04:19:46Z")
Just a thought but one way to narrow down the list is to look at sociology professional societies and their annual meetings. The chair of the annual professional meeting or the most distinguished speaker slot are sociologists who probably are very well-respected. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/6 "2015-04-09T06:04:39Z")
How about Francois Hollande? eta: I see the OP is looking for an academic rather than somebody with political influence. ---
**Author:** ![thanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@thanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thanatic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/7 "2015-04-09T06:14:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > How about Francois Hollande? > > eta: I see the OP is looking for an academic rather than somebody with political influence. yes im looking for purely academic… who would you consider for that? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/8 "2015-04-09T10:03:54Z")
Does anyone know a good site to buy discontinued electronics? I am looking for either this type of headphones or the most recent version - Original Sony MDR-EX90LP Earbud Stereo Bass Earphone for mp3 player. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/9 "2015-04-09T10:13:26Z")
OOP! Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/10 "2015-04-09T10:28:45Z")
Sociologists are known experts on discontinued electronics. I once bought an 8-track player off Karl Popper. I suppose one could Google “[famous living sociologists](https://grahamscambler.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/twelve-favourite-living-sociologists/)” for a start. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/11 "2015-04-09T10:45:19Z")
Well that was risky. How did you know Popper hadn’t empirically falsified the 8 track? ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/12 "2015-04-09T11:30:50Z")
Jurgen Habermas or Anthony Giddens. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/13 "2015-04-09T17:14:10Z")
Sociologists have influence?!?! ---
**Author:** ![thanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@thanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thanatic)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-influential-living-sociologist/717168/14 "2015-04-10T02:10:40Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > Jurgen Habermas or Anthony Giddens. would you put William Julius Wilson in with those 2?