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NORBERT ELIAS
What is Sociology?
Chapters One and Two
The Structure of the Book
1)The book is made up of 6 chapters. Each
having subsections except from chapter two.
2)Chapter one is slit into 5 subsections.
3)Chapter two reads as a whole without any
subsections.
Chapter One: The Questions
asked by Comte
1)Comte was first to use the word “Sociology”.
2)Philosophical Positivism is the gaining of knowledge
by theories and empirical observations.
3)Comte 3 problems;
4)Develop theory of thought and science
5)Determine the relationship between 3 important
sciences
6)Relative autonomy of Sociology
From Philosophical to a
Sociological theory of knowledge
1)The way we think is grounded in the thought processes
of previous generations.
From non-scientific to scientific
knowledge
1)The mind uses 3 methods of thought,
2)Theological
3)Metaphysical
4)Positive
5)Pre-scientific knowledge to Scientific knowledge
6)Aim of knowledge is to find out relationship between
actual events
The scientific investigation of the
sciences
•It’s assumed that a science is identified by it’s use of
a particular method not by subject matter
•Human knowledge changes
•Value judgement
•All scientific forms arisen from pre-scientific forms
Sociology as a relatively
autonomous science
1)Comte wanted to establish sociology as a relatively
autonomous science,
2)Comte believed he needed to show how and why the
interweaving forms integration,
The problem of scientific
specialisation
1)Now need an educated class of intellectuals,
Summary of Chapter One
1)Sociology needs to be established as a independent
science,
2)Sociology in modern society should be scientific,
3)Patterns of human action has become impersonal,
4)Comte believes we need to view society as a whole
through the process of pre-scientific to scientific,
Chapter Two
The Sociologist as a destroyer of
myths
1)Science has become very specialised, we can now see
the problems of this.
2)The aim of science is to spread absolute truths,
3)The cause of science has been advanced by small
groups,
4)Science task is to expose myths,
The Sociologist as a destroyer of
myths continued
1)Elias rejects the study of social origins and
development of sciences as “merely historical”,
2)Development of scientific knowledge is a new part of
knowledge for people,
3)Thoughts have developed through peoples own
intentions, actions and purposes,
The Sociologist as a destroyer of
myths continued
1)Peoples ideas about impersonal connecting of events
comes from tools of though and methods of
investigation,
2)Need to free ourselves from the idea that natural
events have significance to them,
3)Need to step away from pre-scientific ways of thinking
to be able to take precautions,
The Sociologist as a destroyer of
myths continued
1)Philosophical theories of science believe that there is
one scientific method,
2)To understand the changes in human social life, we
need to look at structural changes.
3)Strong resistance has lead to institutional shifts in the
distribution of power,
4)This kind of change can be labelled by aspects of why
things have changed, e.g. Industrialisation,
The Sociologist as a destroyer of
myths continued
1)We now have different social relationships in our lives,
2)Due to specialised functions, we are dependent on
each other,
3)These social relationships form a chain of bonds,
4)The bonds are increasing the development of human
interdependence,
5)Development of human society is beyond our control,
Summary of Chapter Two
1)Elias maintained that sociologists should see
themselves as “destroyers of myths”,
2)As it would be more responsive to the social world we
are analysing and be more accessible to human
understanding and control,
3)We can’t explain social events in pre-scientific terms
due to the development of human interdependence,
4)Human interweaving is growing in complexity,
Criticisms
1)Elias writes in a manner which is slightly confusing
due to the fact that over time certain words now have
different meanings.
Bibliography
1)Elias, N. (1970) “What is Sociology”, The Anchor
Press Ltd.