Generalizable
The final criteria for judging a theory is its generalizability, defined as the number of different situations a theory explains. The theory of gravity is generalizable—and consequently powerful—because it explains apparently unrelated phenomena such as the orbit of the moon, the path of a bullet through the air, and the fall of an apple from a tree.
Linnaeus developed a hierarchical taxonomy (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, tribe, genus, species) to show relationships among living things, originally limited to plants and animals, with fungi, protoctists, and prokaryotacs added later. Every living thing fits into one and only one category (although there often is debate as to where a particular example belongs).Conflict theory seeks to explain human aggression and conflict from the individual to the international level. The proper number of categories and subcategories is far from fixed. The arrangement of this book implies a taxonomy. The first level is the individual. It deals with such fundamental questions as whether humans are naturally aggressive or pacific and whether “nature” or “nurture” has the greater power in explaining human temperament. Diseases, emotions, genes, needs, and values are among possible causes of conflict at this level. Anthropology, biology, ethology, psychology, psychiatry, and sociobiology have made the primary contributions to understanding conflict and aggression at the individual level.
Intellectual conflicts affect all subsequent levels. Five perpetual questions about God, history, man, nature, and society dominate intellectual conflict. Economics, history, natural sciences, philosophy, and theology make the primary but hardly the only contributions to these questions. They lead naturally to a consideration of ethical and moral conflicts, and particularly those situations in which there are differences as to what is right and ones in which doing right has worse results than doing wrong. Despite their importance, conflict theorists seldom study these conflicts, perhaps because their preferred methods of research and analysis contribute little to understanding them.
The third level involves interpersonal conflict between individuals such as siblings, spouses, teachers, and students that stem from such sources as personality, age, communication, and gender differences. Communication, psychology, social psychology, sociology, and women’s studies have made the greatest contribution to our understanding of these questions.
The next level is conflict within and between small groups and informal organizations such as neighborhoods and social clubs. It includes class and ethnic conflict and the problem of gangs. Criminology, economics, management, political science, and sociology are major disciplines contributing to our understanding of conflicts at this level.
The fifth level is within and between formal organizations, primarily businesses, including competition within and between corporations, labor-management conflict, and crisis management. Economics, history, labor studies, and management are the major contributors to our understanding at this level.
Next is intrastate conflict, which includes the role of deliberative assemblies and voting systems for resolving conflicts, the problem of gerrymandering for gaining political advantage, and the problem of free riding. Economics, geography, history, law, mathematics, philosophy, and political science contribute to our understanding of these conflicts.
The final level is interstate conflict, and includes strategic geography, diplomacy, the causes and methods of war and asymmetric conflict, and the search for peace. Economics, geography, history, military science, and political science are the major contributors to our understanding at this level.