The Mind and Society (1916) is the English title of the seminal Italian sociological work Trattato di Sociologia Generale by sociologist and economist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923).
In this book Pareto presents the first sociological cycle theory, centered around the concept of an elite social class.
Pareto divided the elite class into two groups: the conservative defenders of the status quo (violent 'lions'), and the radical promoters of change (cunning 'foxes'). In his view of society, the power constantly passes from 'foxes' to 'lions' and vice versa.
The Mind and Society has been named one of the most influential books ever written by Martin Seymour-Smith. The English edition was published in 1935.
Famous quotes containing the words mind and/or society:
“One mark of a second-rate mind is to be always telling stories.”
—Jean De La Bruyère (1645–1696)
“Beautiful credit! The foundation of modern society. Who shall say that this is not the golden age of mutual trust, of unlimited reliance upon human promises? That is a peculiar condition of society which enables a whole nation to instantly recognize point and meaning in the familiar newspaper anecdote, which puts into the mouth of a distinguished speculator in lands and mines this remark:M”I wasn’t worth a cent two years ago, and now I owe two millions of dollars.””
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)