我一向认为一个人的思想总是反映这个人所处的时代,其内容摆脱不了他个人身世的烙印。所以要理解一个人的思想决不能离开这个人一生的经历。从一个人所有的思想也可以看到这个人所处时代的面貌。从这个角度去重温派克社会学,Hughes先生送给我的这本《派克:一个社会学家的传记》(以下简称《传记》)实在太重要了。尤其是这本《传记》如他在导言里所说的是一本美国社会学的“自然史”(Natural history)中的一部分。“自然史” I always think that a person’s thinking always reflects the era in which the person lives and can not get rid of the imprint of his personal life experience. So to understand a person’s thinking must not leave this person’s life experience. From one’s own thoughts one can also see the look of the times in which one lives. To review Parker sociology from this perspective, the “Parker: The Biography of a Sociologist” (hereinafter referred to as “Biography”) given to me by Mr. Hughes is so important. In particular, this “biography” as he said in his introduction is part of “Natural history” of American sociology. “Natural history ”