This work investigates the fundamental question of how communication functions as the primary mechanism for establishing and maintaining social order. Hugh Dalziel Duncan, a prominent sociologist, utilizes a framework rooted in symbolic interactionism and the study of rhetoric to argue that society is essentially a product of human interaction and symbolic exchange. He examines how social structures are created, reinforced, and transformed through the ways individuals communicate and interpret shared meanings within their communities.

Scholars and sociologists frequently cite this text as a foundational contribution to the study of symbolic communication and its impact on social structures. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in sociological theory to fully grasp the author's complex arguments.