-There is a large list of urgent political questions -before us; no need to detail the usual suspects. -Although practical advice on how to proceed is -desperately needed, analysis of the situation we -confront is also essential. Surely there's room for -both? -Must every essay be a how-to? Must every how-to -contain heavy dollops of theory?
Of course analysis of the situation is useful. I have a broad definition of "useful" but it actually never ceases to amaze me how many academics and intellectuals report things to one another as breakthroughs in understanding that are common knowledge among non-intellectuals-- the contradictions of foundation money being the prime example for today.
Although I definitely believe that every useful piece of theory is informed by deep "how-to" knowledge, just as the best how-to knowledge is informed by theory in a variety of forms.
The comparison of social theory to basic science is misplaced. Social science and knowledge isn't rigorous enough to have much meaning when detached from social practice, so social theory that lacks some pretty clear prescriptive implications is usually not "deep theory" but abstract speculation.
Nathan Newman