The Mind and Society

The Mind and Society is a treatise on general sociology by the Italian economist and sociologist Vilfredo Pareto (1848–1923), first published in Italian in 1916 and then in French between 1917 and 1919. A second Italian edition appeared in 1923, and an English edition in 1935. An abridged version, Compendium of General Sociology, was published in Italian in 1920 and in English in 1980.

The book argues that most human acts are 'non-logical', meaning they do not lead to the goal they intend. People nevertheless tend to explain such conduct as if it were logical, and these explanations have given rise to many magical, metaphysical and moral theories. Pareto identifies the instinctive tendencies behind them, such as 'combinations' and 'group-persistences'. He then examines how the sentiments motivating these tendencies affect a society's prosperity, and sets out recurring cycles, among them the circulation of elites.