Pitirim Sorokin as a Cause: Sociology and Metaphysics of Distemper

The author analyzes sociological journalism and political predictions of Russian-American sociologist P.A. Sorokin during the period of the Russian political collapse of 1917–18, as well as the possibility of adapting his «sociology of the revolution» to studies of the transformation of the contemporary socio-political system of the Russian Federation. The author reveals the dependence of P. Sorokin’s «stronger scientific approach» to studying the course of the February and October coups of 1917 and predicting their consequences on his ideological beliefs and party positions. In this context, the example of P. Sorokin is seen as a reason for understanding the causes of the distemper in Russia and the responsibility of sociological science for the reliability of political forecasts. The article highlights the connection between political positivism and operative masonry of P.A. Sorokin. His case shows that political foresight can be fundamentally untenable, but, nevertheless, instrumental from the point of view of achieving parties or groups goals.