Download Important People in Sociology

Important People in Sociology
Queen
August Comte (1798-1857) (French)
▫ Coined term, “sociology”
• Background: The French Revolution in 1789 had thrown over the
government of French kings, who had ruled with absolute power. He
observed the rise and fall of the revolutionary general and emperor,
Napoleon.
• He asked “How can France ever regain stability and what patterns
exist between order and chaos?
Contribution
• 2 basic problems:
▫ 1. Order: what forces (such as kings or economic prosperity) bring order
to a society
▫ 2. Change: What forces (such as new enlightenment ideas bring change?
***** He theorized that any social change can best be understood by
this analysis. The Social world can be studied with the same
scientific accuracy as the natural world. *********
• Ultimate goal of sociology:
▫ social engineering - rational planning to solve social problems
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
(English)
• Influenced by the events following the French
Revolution
• Wrote in response to conditions caused by the industrial
revolution
▫ He asked “How can sociologists explain who will become
rich and powerful in this new age and who will be left
behind?”
• Developed a theory known as Social Darwinism
• Societies evolve from lower (barbarian) to higher
(civilized) forms
▫ “Natural selection”: most capable surviving, least capable
dying out
▫ wrong to interfere with this process
Karl Marx (1818-1883) (German)
•
He saw exploitation and misery where Spencer saw order and positive change
Background:
• Marx saw people working for low pay in filthy, unsafe factories, who at night went home to miserable,
crowded slums that had been built up around the places where they worked. He attributed these conditions
to historical economic facts.
Contribution
• Believed that the organization of the economy is basic to society, and that political, social, and religious
beliefs grow out of the economic structure
Viewed society in 2 groups
1.
Those who control the economy
2.
Those who don’t
• Focus on conflict between classes
 production/distribution of wealth
1.
bourgeoisie - owners
2.
the proletariat - lives by selling their labor
•
•
Free competition: greed and self- interest drive some workers to seize control. The worker becomes the
victim of the factory owner
He advocated a revolution of the workers to overcome unfair advantages of the rich. He believed that the
capitalistic system would disappear and a new communist system would take its place--------- one I which
the inequalities among the members of society would be removed.
Max Weber (1864-1920) (German)
• Interested in society and the individual
• Examined the role of individual beliefs and feelings played in
society.
• Argued that society can not be understood by objective
measurement. This can only be used for accurate weights and
heights not for people and societies
• Contribution
1. Sociologists must learn the subjective meaning people attach to
actions
2.
3.
▫
▫
meaning underlies human action/interaction
Developed the Concept of ideal type
A model that can be used to measure reality.
a researcher examines many examples of an aspect of a society
and identifies what he or she believes to be its essential features.
4. Examined the role of Protestantism in the development of
capitalism
• Developed concept of bureaucracy
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
(French)
• Also interested on questions of order
such as “what forces keep a society
together and what influences tear them
apart?”
• Contributions
1. Believed the answers to his questions were in
terms of functions
2. If an element of society fulfills a true function
then it must be important in keeping things
orderly. Its removal would cause disorder
3. Shared values and beliefs hold society together