What is the meaning of social reality according to D.P. Mukerji ?

1. Social reality has many and different aspects. It has its traditions and future.

2. To understand social reality one should have a comprehensive and synoptic view of (i) the nature of interactions of its different aspects and (ii) the interplay of its tradition and the forces leading to a changed future.

3. Narrow specializations to particular disciplines cannot help the understanding of social reality. Sociology can be of great help here.

4. Sociology has a floor and a ceiling like any other discipline. However, the speciality of sociology “consists in its floor being the grounds floor of all kinds of social disciplines and its ceiling remaining open to the sky.”

5. Neglect of social base generally leads to arid abstractions as in recent Economics. On the other hand, much of empirical research in Anthropology and in Psychology has been rendered useless because of its narrow scope.

6. Sociology assists us in having an integral view of life and social reality. It will look into the details but it will also search for the wood behind the trees.

7. Dhurjati Prasad Mukerji learnt from his teachers as well as from his peers the need for a synoptic view of the vast canvas of social life. He, therefore, consistently harped on the synthesis of social sciences. Sociology might help this attempt at synthesizing.