Review and Prospect

When and how did the three classic figures of sociology become classics?

We have argued that:The classic figures are Marx, Durkheim,

and WeberWho stressed class, norms and

organization, respectivelyConflict theories focus on positive

feedbacks, and functional theories on negative feedbacks.

Prior to the 1960’s many other figures would have been considered more important.

Parsons from 1940-1970 made Durkheim and Weber central figures.

The critics of Parsons from 1960-1990 made Marx important.

In Chicago sociology, figures such as Spencer, Comte, or Glumpowitz were considered more important.

Much of Chicago sociology was directed against Spencer “Mr. Sociology” from the 1840’s to the 1930’s “Social Darwinism” argued that progress was

driven by the “survival of the fittest.” Spencer wrote the first books in English on

sociology, arguing for “laissez faire” and the importance of genetic differences.

The Chicago sociologists argued that human behavior was socially shaped.

Liberalism and Social Darwinism 19th c. Liberals were not “liberal” but

“conservative” They stressed competition and genetic variation, and so they opposed labor laws, income tax,

and social policy generally. In the US, Spencer was very popular with the

robber barons that controlled American education, and William Graham Sumner was an exponent

Charles Murray is a contemporary example

Liberalism and Individualism Popular explanations of crime, income,

educational success, addiction, etc. often stress individual traits.

One can always ask why this individual rather than that one develops cancer, fails school or abuses drugs.

But such explanations may be useless in explaining rates and structures relevant to health, education or drug abuse.

PositivismSaint-Simon and Comte developed a

project of a “social physics.”Saint-Simon was also one of the

founders of socialism.Their work does not look very scientific

today. In the US, Ward was a main exponent.

NeoKanianism

A variety of different bodies of thought developed Kant’s ideas that our conceptualizations make our knowledge possible.

Simmel was one form of neoKantian theorist, who was most central to the Chicago school.

And figures such as Mead or W.I.Thomas insisted that the ways that people think about reality is real in its consequences. (I.e. belief in witchcraft creates witches.)

This became one source of symbolic interactionism

Historicism Other European theorists developed historical

description and conceptualization of social change.

Toennies Community and Society was an elaborate conceptualization of different kinds of social structures.

Ch. 5 of One World noted that there were many analyses of social development that were the basis of modern sociology.

The Chicago SchoolThe set of pragmatist and empirical

theorists at the University of Chicago established a very rich tradition of empirical description of slums, ethnic and racial groups, gangs, etc.

Most of them studied in Germany.Robert Park promoted empirical studies:

sociologist as (wo)man with clipboard.