Inspired by modern developments in physics, Mukerjee offers 'a "general" theory of culture, personality, and behavior, viewing symbol as the sensitive, indissoluble link between them'. Numerous sciences and disciplines are invoked, and the author's range of scholarship is truly encyclopedic. But sociology is not physics and no 'general' theory emerges. So diverse are the theoretical systems and their levels of investigation that they are simply not reconcilable in any meaningful synthesis. The end product is a portmanteau of references and quotations, surrounded by an aura of spirituality and good intentions.

The study of symbols and symbolic processes is essential to our