Robots in the basement

If one is an engineer, one can make robots in the basement in order to practice one's science and craft. What if one is a social theorist? We reject "social engineering", preferring to tell ourselves that society "just happens" as the emergent thing of personal choices (what crap), so even thinking one might consciously make society is evil, in a way. Plus, the idea of amateur social engineering is even scarier to our sensibilities, leading to ideas of cult leaders, etc.