The Sociological Task spotlights what is important in sociological inquiry. The theme is what to measure. Dr. Fallding demonstrates how sociology passes from concepts through empirical measurement to explanatory theory. The functional imperative inherent in social organization and culture provide the dimensions of sociological measurement, which are the same for any group regardless of size or purpose. The text takes a functional position, which resolves a number of tensions in sociology at once. It reconciles the claims of theory with the demands of method, the use of measurement with the necessity of evaluation, and the functional perspective with the evolutionary and dialectical perspectives.