SOCIOLOGY 12 ACAD.

Early Sociologist

Auguste Comte(1798-1857)

French Philosopher Came up with the modern term, Sociology

Socius (Latin) = Social, Being With others

Logos (Greek) = Study Of Termed “The New Science” Comte’s Theories included: Social Statics

(order and stability) and Social Dynamics (conflict and change)

Auguste Comte (Con’t)

Positivism Theory: Belief that the world can best by understood through scientific inquiry, bias free knowledge and not religious reasoning.

Three stages of knowledge: Theological, metaphysical, and scientific (positivism)

Stage one: Religious Based Stage two: Abstract Speculation Stage Three: Scientific knowledge ( proven

through observations, experiments, comparisons, and historical analysts

Harriet Martineau(1802-1876)

Attributed for translating and compressing the work of Comte and making it more available for viewing.

Studied social customs of Britain and USA during industrialization and capitalism

Studies focused on religion, politics, child rearing, slavery, class, race, gender and “sufferers”

Harriet Martineau (Con’t)

Strong advocate for racial and gender equality

Believed that a better society would emerge if men and women were treated equally.

Also believed in bridging the class gap and having cooperation from all people with the lead coming from middle class.

Sociology could “enlighten people’s capacity to create a just society and live heroic lives

Herbert Spencer(1820-1903)

Major contribution was an evolutionary perspective on social order and change

General evolution theory: compares society to a living biological organism with various interdependent parts (family, economy, and government) that work to ensure the stability of the entire society.

Believed in Survival of the fittest, only the best adapted survive, others die out. (natural selection) = known as Social Darwinism

Herbert Spencer (Con’t)

Critics have pointed out many flaws in Spencer’s theories. Stating:

Spencer’s theories promote can be used to justify class, racial, ethnic, and gender inequalities.

Ideas could act as a crutch to eliminate harmful practices that worsen these negative views.

Emile Durkheim(1858-1917)

Criticized some of Spencer’s views while incorporating others into his work.

Stressed the importance that people are the product of their social environment and that behaviour cannot be fully understood in terms of individual biological, and psychological traits.

Limits of human potential are limited not by biology, by society

Emile Durkheim (Con’t)

Lived through the secularation of society (turn against religion) thus, sought to provide scientific rational way of explaining societal integration and stability.

Largest Contribution: Societies based on facts (Social facts are patterned ways of acting, thinking and feeling that exist outside any one individual)

Strains in society lead to anomie – a condition in which cocial control becomes ineffective as a result of loss of shared values and a sense of purpose in society. Most likely to occur during rapid social change

Karl Marx(1818-1883)

Sharp Contrast to ideas before German economist Conflict necessary, to produce social

change and better society. Believed that society should not just be

studied, but changed, due to its’ formation from a few wealthy people over the rest of population

Many argued that Marx put too much emphasis on class division

Max Weber(1864-1920)

Like Marx, concerned with the changes brought on by industrial revolution

Believed that sociologic research should be done value free in complete scientific study.

Weber feared the growth and development of large scale organizations, as a way of taking away human vitality and freedom.

George Simmel(1858-1918)

Society as a web of patterned interactions among people

The main purpose of sociology, should be to examine these interactions within groups

Interactions depended greatly on the size of the social group

Different interactions between dyad, and triad Pointed out a higher class conflict in industrial societies,

and a stronger push for individualism rather than group support.

Developed formal sociology – an approach that focuses attention on universal, recurring social forms that underlie the varying content of social interaction.