valuable natural science approach for sociology might be neglected if it were identified with Dodd ' s S-theory ( Calhoun 1942 , 504 ). Others denied that the S-system accomplished what Dodd claimed for it ( Parsons 1942 , 126 ; Shanas 1942 , 454 ). One reviewer , however , wrote that it was more likely than any alternative to make sociology scientific ( Robinson 1942 , 504 ), and another held that it would be profitable for any sociologist to read and evaluate Dimensions of Society ( Calhoun 1942 , 504 ). At least one author of a sociological theory text later credited him with " a tour de force ", although also claiming that the book was “ unreadable ” ( Timasheff 1955 , 308 - 309 ) . Another theoretical text cited Dimensions of Society as " an example of the danger always facing pure positivism of degenerating into an empty formula " ( Martindale 1960 , 119 ), which is to almost entirely misunderstand S-theory ’ s purpose , as the formulas , considering what they represent , could hardly be less empty . Although S-theory was criticised for its nonmathematical aspects in some negative reviews ( which even went as far as ridiculing Dodd ’ s enterprise as a total misunderstanding of mathematics ; a mathematician who reviewed the book dismissed S-theory as " a feeble mathematical pun " ( cited in Bell 1942 , 709 ) others went to the extreme of characterising it as merely a purposeless shorthand . This article would contend that in practice the significance of such symbols lies equidistantly between functioning as a potentially useful shorthand and as mathematical notation . There is undeniably actual mathematics present , such as in the case of the exponents : Nevertheless , such notation also takes the form of a very concise shorthand in the case of the other three subscripts and superscripts .
Timasheff ’ s obvious difficulty with understanding and implementing S-formulae was echoed more constructively by Howard B . Woolston in the Annals of the American Academy , where he suggested that " perhaps a brief handbook presenting typical problems and solutions might be more useful for students , and offer a definite basis for trial by investigators " ( Woolston 1942 , 462 ). Dodd almost provided the requested handbook under the title Systematic Social Science ( Dodd 1947 ), but this remained a typescript volume reproduced as a " temporary edition " by an offset process as a publication of the Faculty of Arts and Science of the American University of Beirut and was therefore never widely available .
Examples of real-world S-formulae rules
Many of the over 300 examples in Dimensions of Society are quite complex , not simply because of the symbolic notation , but because of the sheer number of different rules which may have been