大多數臺灣地區學習社會學的學生，不論在學習之前或者學過之後，都不大清楚 社會學究竟學些甚麼。究其原因，實在與社會學這門學問的特性有關。社會學在各方面都很 像哲學。除了社會學本質上就是一種歷史哲學之演變以外，社會學在現代西方社會科學學術 體制中的知識形象，非常類似哲學在整體知識體制裡的處境－雖然聲稱為知識典範之母，包 羅一切，但是一來既無專屬的具體研究範圍和專業知識的排他性，二來其內部亦學派林立， 莫衷一是，令學者無所適從。其實這兩門學問都是以特殊觀玷作為其學科成立之理由。學習 社會學，就是學習其特殊的觀點。 社會學觀點的關鍵在於從「社會條件」 (social 　 conditions) 的觀點看一切， 不管事物原來自設的意義體系為何，或者是否還有其他複雜的內涵。而所謂「社會條件」， 其含意大致有四：其一是在特定歷史時空中被形構成的人群生活模式或人際相與模式，也就 是一般所稱的「文化」或「社會結構」；其二是有助於形構特殊人群生活方式的各種媒介和 佈局，包括觀念、活動、人口、科技、地理等因素；其三是群聚互動生活所難免的，將事物 依優先性和急迫性排序及分類之需求；最後是人際相與之時行動者為求身心平衡所必須運用 的心理機轉與應對策略。 社會學的「社會」概念跟一般人所想的不同。它屬於一般人日常生活中無意諒的層 面，必須翻過一般人想法的後面才掌握得住。故此，學過社會學的人難免會。跟一般人貌合 神離。

　　　　　Sociology is by nature a transformed type of philosophy of history. Like philosophy, sociology inquires fundamental and radical questions, on the one hand, and like philosophy, the raison d'etre of sociology is also based upon its special viewpoint, on the other. Therefore, learning sociology, like learning philosophy, means learning a special viewpoint. The key of the sociological viewpoint is seeing everything through its "social conditions", dispite of its self-identified nature or its complicated its structure if there is any. The following four kinds offactors are the so-called "social conditions": (1) the patterns and the modes of living, generally called "culture" or "social structure", which are configurated within a given historical " space and time; (2) those media and arrangements, including factors such as ideas, activities, population, technology and geography, mainly through which people's life styles are configurated; (3) the needs to classify and to arrange things in order according to priority and emergency which are indispensable in group life; (4) the psychological mechanisms and dramaturgical strategies by which people usel handle their daily interactional situations in order to keep their own identity aa self-respect. The concept of "society" in sociology is different from that in ordinary usagi It belongs to the unconscious sphere of everyday life and can only be comprehended by going behind ordinary people's taken-for-granted knowledge. This is why those students who have been well-trained in sociology just appeart to be on the same lines, while in fact being "ecstatic", with the ordinary people.