Since then the term has gained much wider currency, and is used to refer to the systematic study of the functioning, organization and development of human social life, groups and societies.
Sociology characteristically embraces a wide range of competing paradigms and approaches.
It has also remained open to ideas imported from other disciplines. The divisions between the various social sciences are not well-defined they all share a range of common interests, concepts and methods. Some argue that what distinguishes sociology from the other social sciences is its peculiar interest in the problems of modern industrial societies. While this is certainly a central interest of the discipline, the concerns of sociology are far more wide-ranging and incorporate all aspects of all types of society. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, stretching from the study of a passing encounter between two individuals to the analysis of global social processes.