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This paper examines the Chicago sociologist William F. Ogburn's (1886–1959) views about technological unemployment, which were intimately connected to his analysis of the social impacts of technological developments and resulting social problems due to cultural lag. We trace the development of his views as seen through his well‐known 1922 book, Social Change with Respect to Culture and Original Nature, his important contributions to the President's Research Committee on Social Trends (1933), and his lesser‐known pamphlets designed for a broader audience—Living with Machines (1933), You and Machines (1934), and Machines and Tomorrow's World (1938). He used these pamphlets to educate the public about the dangers of new machines and technological unemployment. In doing so, he drew upon sociological analysis in his professional scholarly writings and his long‐standing personal interests in social betterment and social reform. Our analysis also calls into question the adequacy of existing scholarship on Ogburn that has emphasized his commitment to a statistical, dispassionate, and "objectivist" approach to social science research. We call for a revised, richer, and more complex view of Ogburn's work and legacy as one of the nation's leading social scientists during the first half of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on an analysis of the work of six leading sociologists, Albion Small, W.I. Thomas, Robert Park, Louis Wirth, William Ogburn and Morris Janowltz, Dennis Smith explores the interplay between the constraints and opportunities of sociology, liberalism and capitalism, the key to the work of the prominent scholars who compose the Chicago School. They considered very seriously the goals and values lauded as "the American Way" and wrestled with the inherent ambiguities of this historically grounded myth and its many implications. The intellectual and moral outlook of the Chicago sociologists within the tradition of American liberalism is examined, as well as how these views offer a critical perspective on modern American society.