Searching for the Theoretical Godot: A Plea for theoretical Diversity in Modern Sociology.

This paper presents a discussion of the renewed interest in developing a unified theoretical umbrella under which the various sociological theories can be ordered and contained. It suggests that a "unified or 'unifying" theory will do more harm than good toward advancing sociological knowledge. Using Paul K. Feyerabend's (1968) notions of (1) the relative autonomy of facts, (2) the consistency condition, and (3) the principle, of meaning invariance, the paper illustrates how a movement toward a dominant paradigm will have deleterious effects on sociological knowledge. A plea is made for maintaining theoretical diversity as an acceptable, means for advancing sociological knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]