▁maintained , ▁represented ▁a ▁middle ▁ground ▁between ▁both ▁extrem es . ▁ ▁Review ▁of ▁Pi aget ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 6 , ▁Par s ons ▁was ▁asked ▁to ▁contribute ▁to ▁a ▁volume ▁to ▁celebr ate ▁the ▁ 8 0 th ▁birth day ▁of ▁Jean ▁Pi aget . ▁Par s ons ▁contributed ▁with ▁an ▁ess ay , ▁" A ▁F ew ▁Consider ations ▁on ▁the ▁Place ▁of ▁R ational ity ▁in ▁Modern ▁Culture ▁and ▁Society ". ▁Par s ons ▁character ized ▁Pi aget ▁as ▁the ▁most ▁em inent ▁contrib utor ▁to ▁cogn itive ▁theory ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century . ▁However , ▁he ▁also ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁future ▁study ▁of ▁cogn ition ▁had ▁to ▁go ▁beyond ▁its ▁narrow ▁encounter ▁with ▁psych ology ▁to ▁aim ▁at ▁a ▁higher ▁understanding ▁of ▁how ▁cogn ition ▁as ▁a ▁human ▁intellectual ▁force ▁was ▁ent ang led ▁in ▁the ▁processes ▁of ▁social ▁and ▁cultural ▁institution al ization . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 8 , ▁when ▁James ▁G rier ▁Miller ▁published ▁his ▁famous ▁work ▁Living ▁Systems , ▁Par s ons ▁was ▁approached ▁by ▁Contempor ary ▁Soci ology ▁to ▁write ▁a ▁review ▁article ▁on ▁Miller ' s ▁work . ▁Par s ons ▁had ▁already ▁compla ined ▁in ▁a ▁letter ▁to ▁A . ▁Hunter ▁Dup ree ▁that ▁American ▁intellectual ▁life ▁suffered ▁from ▁a ▁deep - se ated ▁tradition ▁of ▁empir ic ism ▁and ▁saw ▁Miller ' s ▁book ▁the ▁latest ▁confirm ation ▁of ▁that ▁tradition . ▁In ▁his ▁review , ▁" Con crete ▁Systems ▁and ▁" Abstract ed