Introduction: Summaries and Comments

Abstract

In 2008, Howard Kaplan, sociology series editor for the Springer Press, requested that professor Franks undertake this volume. At that time, the latter’s response was that a handbook in neurosociology would be premature. Sociology was behind other disciplines in embracing neuroscience because anything biological was associated with the radical reductionism of E. O. Wilson’s (1975) position that would have rendered sociology unnecessary. Things are obviously different now, but it has been an uphill battle, however rewarding for these editors. While early usage of the term neurosociology should be credited to Warren TenHouten (Bogen et al. 1972), the trek started in earnest with an issue of Franks’ annual series with the JAI Press (1999) titled Mind, Brains and Society coedited with Thomas S. Smith. At that time, a reviewer wrote that all sociologists ought to read this volume, but that few would. According to our royalty checks, he could not have been more correct. A year later, Jonathan H. Turner came out with his Origins of Human Emotions (2000) that was heavily embellished with biological insights into the development of the Hominin brain processes underlying human emotion.