This book investigates the underlying conceptual similarities between Durkheimian and Marxist sociology regarding the mechanisms of social order and disorder. David Lockwood, a prominent sociologist, evaluates the foundational assumptions of these two schools of thought to determine how they account for the maintenance and disruption of social structures. By identifying shared theoretical blind spots, the author argues that both traditions have failed to adequately address specific problems of social action, necessitating a new framework for sociological inquiry.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to social theory, particularly for its rigorous comparative approach to two historically divergent schools of thought. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for advanced students and scholars of sociological theory.