C. Wright Mills Social Imagination Theory

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Various moments in time have triggered an act of urgency and produced endless questions that center around the complexity of how the world is structured and its impact on the present and past society. These questions then become a vital part of the creation of social theory. Through the different lenses of the countless theorist, the binary questions that are made to deconstruct the theoretical perspective that the anti-intellectuals present to the public, create a different framework for how the people define structure and "play". Through the viewpoints of W.E.B Dubois and Elie Pariser, the discussion of the social imagination and intellect are revealed. By integrating concepts from Dubois and Pariser, we can further analyze the structure of society and how the relationship with the past supplied the foundation for the perspectives of the classic theorist. The social imagination is a basic skill that enables people to understand the larger historical scene. C. Wright Mills introduces this idea in his book titled The Sociological Imagination from Charles Lemert’s edition. Mill’s argues that the first impression of imagination, embodies the idea of understanding for individuals, he then counters that same argument by saying that, ‘human nature[is] frightening broad’ (Pp 267). I would like to think that through his analysis of the social imagination, that Mills set the format for a style of reflection when it comes to the intellectual age, but Mill’s was born in the 1900’s.

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