Editing Talcott Parsons (section)

== Education ==
===Amherst College===
As an undergraduate, Parsons studied biology and philosophy at [[Amherst College]] and received his BA in 1924. Amherst College had become the Parsons' family college by tradition; his father and his uncle Frank had attended it, as had his elder brother, Charles Edward. Initially, Parsons was attracted to a career in medicine, as he was inspired by his elder brother<ref name="ParsonsDaedalus">{{cite journal |last1=Parsons |first1=Talcott |title=On Building Social System Theory: A Personal History |journal=Daedalus |date=1970 |volume=99 |issue=4 |pages=826–881 |url=http://www.jstor.com/stable/20023975}}</ref>{{rp|826}} so he studied a great deal of biology and spent a summer working at the [[Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution|Oceanographic Institution]] at [[Woods Hole, Massachusetts|Woods Hole]], Massachusetts.

Parsons' biology professors at Amherst were [[Otto C. Glaser]] and Henry Plough. Gently mocked as "Little Talcott, the gilded cherub," Parsons became one of the student leaders at Amherst. Parsons also took courses with [[Walton Hale Hamilton]] and the philosopher [[Clarence Edwin Ayres]], both known as "institutional economists". Hamilton, in particular, drew Parsons toward social science.<ref name="ParsonsDaedalus"/>{{rp|826}} They exposed him to literature by authors such as [[Thorstein Veblen]], [[John Dewey]], and [[William Graham Sumner]]. Parsons also took a course with George Brown in the philosophy of [[Immanuel Kant]] and a course in modern German philosophy with Otto Manthey-Zorn, who was a great interpreter of Kant. Parsons showed from early on, a great interest in the topic of philosophy.

Two term papers that Parsons wrote as a student for Clarence E. Ayres at Amherst have survived. They are referred to as the Amherst Papers and have been of strong interest to Parsons scholars. The first was written on December 19, 1922, "The Theory of Human Behavior in its Individual and Social Aspects."<ref>Talcott Parsons, "The Theory of Human Behavior in its Individual and Social Aspects." ''The American Sociologist'' Vol.27.no.4. Winter 1996. pp.13–23.</ref> The second was written on March 27, 1923, "A Behavioristic Conception of the Nature of Morals".<ref>Talcott Parsons, "A Behavioristic Concept of the Nature of Morals". ''The American Sociologist'' Vol.27.no.4. Winter 1996. pp. 24–37.</ref> The papers reveal Parsons' early interest in social evolution.<ref>Jens Kaalhauge Nielsen, "Beyond the Myth of "Radical Breaks" in Talcott Parsons's Theory: An Analysis of the Amherst Papers." ''The American Sociologist''. Winter 1996. Volume 27. no.4. pp. 48–54.</ref> The Amherst Papers also reveal that Parsons did not agree with his professors since he wrote in his Amherst papers that technological development and moral progress are two structurally-independent empirical processes.

===London School of Economics===
After Amherst, he studied at the [[London School of Economics]] for a year, where he was exposed to the work of [[Bronisław Malinowski]], [[R. H. Tawney]], [[Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse|L. T. Hobhouse]], and [[Harold Laski]].<ref name="ParsonsDaedalus"/>{{rp|826}} During his days at LSE, he made friends with [[E. E. Evans-Pritchard]], [[Meyer Fortes]], and [[Raymond Firth]], who all participated in the Malinowski seminar. Also, he made a close personal friendship with Arthur and [[Eveline M. Burns]].

At LSE he met Helen Bancroft Walker, a young American, and they married on April 30, 1927. The couple had three children: Anne, [[Charles Parsons (philosopher)|Charles]], and Susan.

===University of Heidelberg===
In June, Parsons went on to the [[University of Heidelberg]], where he received his PhD in sociology and economics in 1927. At Heidelberg, he worked with [[Alfred Weber]], [[Max Weber]]'s brother; [[Edgar Salin]], his dissertation adviser; Emil Lederer; and [[Karl Mannheim]]. He was examined on Kant's ''[[Critique of Pure Reason]]'' by the philosopher [[Karl Jaspers]].<ref>Alexander Stingl, ''Between Discursivity and Sensus Communis: Kant, Kantianism and the Social Media Theory of Talcott Parsons''. Inaugural-Dissertation, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, edited for publication, OPUS Erlangen-Nürnberg University Press, 2008.
*  Alexander I. Stingl, '' Anthropos' Scaffoldings: Studies in the Coevolution of Sociology, Biology, Medicine, and Philosophy. (with a foreword by Sal Restivo)'' forthcoming.</ref> At Heidelberg, Parsons was also examined by Willy Andreas on the French Revolution. Parsons wrote his [[Dr. Phil.]] thesis on ''The Concept of Capitalism in the Recent German Literature'', with his main focus on the work of [[Werner Sombart]] and Weber. It was clear from his discussion that he rejected Sombart's quasi-idealistic views and supported Weber's attempt to strike a balance between [[historicism]], [[idealism]] and [[neo-Kantianism]].

The most crucial encounter for Parsons at Heidelberg was with the work of Max Weber about whom he had never heard before. Weber became tremendously important for Parsons because his upbringing with a liberal but strongly-religious father had made the question of the role of culture and religion in the basic processes of world history a persistent puzzle in his mind. Weber was the first scholar who truly provided Parsons with a compelling theoretical "answer" to the question.

Parsons decided to translate Weber's work into English and approached [[Marianne Weber]], Weber's widow. Parsons would eventually translate several of Weber's works.<ref>Talcott Parsons, "The Circumstances of My Encounter with Max Weber" in Robert K. Merton & Matilda White Riley (eds.) ''Sociological Traditions from Generation to Generation.'' Norwood, NJ.: Ablex, 1980.</ref><ref>Uta Gerhardt, "Much More than a Mere Translation Talcott Parsons' Translation into English of Max Weber's Protestantische Ethik und der Geist der Kapitalismus: An Essay in Intellectual History." ''The Canadian Journal of Sociology.'' Vol.32. No.1. Winter 2007. pp. 41–62.</ref> His time in Heidelberg had him invited by Marianne Weber to "sociological teas", which were study group meetings that she held in the library room of her and Max's old apartment. One scholar that Parsons met at Heidelberg who shared his enthusiasm for Weber was Alexander von Schelting. Parsons later wrote a review article on von Schelting's book on Weber.<ref>Talcott Parsons, "Review of Max Webers Wissenschaftslehre, by Alexander von Schelting," ''American Sociological Review'' vol.1. 1936: 675–81.</ref> Generally, Parsons read extensively in religious literature, especially works focusing on the sociology of religion. One scholar who became especially important for Parsons was Ernst D. Troeltsch. Parsons also read widely on [[Calvinism]]. His reading included the work of Emile Doumerque,<ref>Emile Doumerque, ''Jean Calvin: Les hommes et les choses de son temps,'' 7 volumes. Lausanne, 1899–1927.</ref> Eugéne Choisy, and Henri Hauser.