Sociology has been profoundly and differentially politicized by its practitioners. Such politicization stems from an ostensibly leftward drift at the same time that American society as a whole has rediscovered such rightward verities as moral absolutes, universal standards, and inherited values. This countercyclical drift accentuates the widespread alienation of sociology as a discipline from social life and its replacement by undistilled ideology. The key object of ideological extremism from the outset has been the total repudiation of the normative character of the social system. In its politicized version, the original purpose of American society is characterized as an attempt to create a collective, cooperative community. The politicization of social research has led to the celebration of inherited weaknesses at the expense of research strengths in sociology. 38 notes.