One important issue to keep in mind when evaluating a theory is back-ground information and context. Issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation can affect the composition of a theory and its acceptance. For example, discrimination in academic life meant sociological theories dealing with women and minorities were generally disregarded until the 1960s. Furthermore, the background of the theorist matters. For example, the first sociological theories dealing with African American communities were written by whites and depicted African American communities as pathological versions of the white community. They were written at a time when few African Americans found jobs in academia. Even though socio-logical works written by African Americans such as William E. B. DuBois (1868-1963) and Oliver Cox (1901-1974) existed, they were relegated to marginal status. Another issue to keep in mind is timing or time period. Sociologists do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of the social matrix of their time; that is, they are affected by history and the social institutions that surround them. As these change, arising issues lead sociologists to reflect and theorize about their world. As described below, environmental sociology itself is a product of a very specific period of time. Whole courses are taught in sociological theory. T

Karl Marx (1818-1883) argued that changes in the substructure of society (the economic base) lead to changes in the superstructure of society (its culture, politics, religion, etc.). He also argued that there are links between ideology and political life and between these and religion.

There is no technological imperative that says we must have power or weapons from nuclear fission or fusion, or t hat we must create and loose upon the earth organisms that will devour our oil spills. We could reach for, and grasp, solar power or safe coal-fired plants. and lhe safe ship designs and industry controls tlhat would virtually eliminate oil spills. No catastrophic potential flows from these.

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systems that have high catastrophic potential, such as nuclear power plants, nuclear weapons systems, recombinant DNA production, or even ships carrying highly toxic or explosive cargoes.