Modern social thought ranges widely from the social sciences to philosophy, political theories and doctrines, cultural ideas and movements, and the influence of the natural sciences.

• Provides an authoritative overview of the main themes of social thought.
  
• Long essays and entries give full coverage to each topic.
  
• Covers major currents of thought, philosophical and cultural trends, and the individual social sciences from anthropology to welfare economics.
  
• New edition updates about 200 entries and includes new entries, suggestions for further reading, and a bibliography of all sources cited within the text.