The theme I was given by the editorial committee of the JSR was to discuss the future tasks of sociology in the following three domains - social welfare, social pathology and social problems.
Firstly, however, I must dare to say a word or two about the way to treat this theme. For, I think it can be no easy job at all to search for the proper subject of sociology in these three domains without any special analyzing viewpoint. Let's take social welfare as an example. My standpoint is that it is one of the most dangerous thoughts that sociology of social welfare can be brought into existence even in the case of lacking in the special analyzing viewpoint. My assertion is based on the following two points.
1, The learning subjects of social welfare, social pathology and social problems are the problems of practice in the actual social life. So each sociology of each domains as an academic science will be impossible to be realized, chiefly because the academic subjects always need to have a certain distance from the social practice.
2, What I call “the tendency of complimentality” in today's our Japanese sociology is one of the most essential causes of its prosperity. But, at the same time, - here is my emphasis - it has prevented sociology from developing in its proper, ideal course.
Therefore, as for me, I fix the medicine and medical problems in the core of my original viewpoint. From this point, I discuss about society, medicine, human beings and so on.
Why do the medicine and medical problems stay only in the medical technical application to sufferers? Why so they restricted to the biological ones in the course of medical practice ?
If we can make efforts to change these conditions mentioned above, we will be able to expect sociology a great part in searching for the renewed relationship between human beings and the medicine and medical problems.
