Classical Sociology - Early Years Flashcards
when was classical soc?
early 1800’s-early 1900s
what SOCIAL forces that developed soc theory?
- Political Revolutions
- French Revolution of 1789 - Industrial Revolution & Rise of Capitalism
- Rise of Socialism
- Femininsm
- Urbanization
- Religious Change
- Growth of science
what INTELLECTUAL forces developed soc theory?
Enlightenment & Conservative Reaction to enlightenment
Explain the enlightenment
- long standing beliefs were overthrown and replaced
- rational vs. irrational
- social world, like physical world is dominated by natural laws
- Montesquieu and Rousseau were influenctial
- Early soc was reaction to enlightenment
what were the 2 intellectual currents of the enlightenment
- 17th century philosophy
- Descarte, Locke, Hobbes
- They produced general, abstract theories
- Enlightenment was grounded in the real world - 17th century science
- the model for EN theories was science
- they used emperical research and reason
- scientific method was used to analyze social isues
What was the Conservative Reaction to enlightenment?
- French Catholic counter philosophy
- extreme anti-enlightenment sentiments from this group
- DeBonald and Maistre - yearned for return to the peaceful middle ages
- reason is inferior to religious beliefs
- God created society, don’t change holy creation
- maintaining social order is important
- irrational parts of social life are positive characteristics
what did the CR to enlightenment argue?
society over individual
change is negative, must maintain social order
we are interrellated and interdependant
Name 4 early french sociologists
- Toucqueville
- Saint-Simon
- Comte
- Durkheim
What were the beliefs of Toucqueville?
3 interellated themes:
- freedom
- equality
- centralization - poses a threat to freedom
Saint-Simon?
- mentor of Comte
- develloped both conservative and Marxian theories
- wanted to preserve society as is, (not return like Maistre and De Bonald)
- positivist
Comte
- coined the term sociology
- model soc after hard sciences
- law of 3 stages
Durkheim
- studied ‘ social facts’
What are social facts?
- forces and structures that are external to and coercive of the individual
material vs. non material social facts
material = bureaucracy, law
nonmaterial = culture, social institutions
- changes and nature of social facts led to suicide rates
What does Durkheim believe about religion
religion is the ‘collective conscience’
religion is way society expresses itself as a nonmaterial social fact
Who are influencial German sociologists?
Hegel Feuerbach Marx Weber Simmel
Hegel
- dominant influence on Marx
2 main concepts: - dialectic - both way of thinking and an image of the world
- the world is made up of processes not static structures
idealism - emphasizes importance of mind, social interpretation of the physical world
Feuerbach
- bridge between Hegel and Marx
- criticized Hegel’s excessive focus on consciousness and spirit of society
- need to focus on material reality
how do Marx, Hegel and Feueurbach relate?
- Marx argued the problems of modern life are traceable to real material sources
- solution is for masses of people to overturn oppressive structures
- took Hegel’s dialectics and Feurbach’s materialism
‘ dialectical materialism’ - focused on dialectical relationships within material world
what is political economy?
- adam smith
- marx believed labour is source of all wealth
- labour theory of value -
- Marx
- profit of capitalists based on exploitation of labour
- surplus value was retained and reinvested in the system
how was marx recieved in soc in his time?
- not accepted by many theorists in 19th century
- others concerned with social order and disorder after FR
- Marx was concerned with revolution and oppression that arose through industrial capitalism
Explain Marxian theory
- people are naturally productive
- natural process of productivity has been subverted
- capitalism erects barriers between the labourer and product and process of production
- creates alienation
what is alienation?
in 2 class system few capitalists own production process and products and labour of labourers - marx wanted to liberate ppl in socialist society that would stop alientation
Weber vs. Marx
- Weber though Marx offered single-cause theories of social life
- all about economic structures
- marx thought material world influenced ideas
weber - focused on effect of ideas on economy - ideas not just reflection of economic factors
-
explain weber’s theory
theory of process of rationalization
- institutions in west became more rational while there were barriers of development in the rest of the world
concerned with
ex. of rationalization - bureaucracy (fast food companies)
3 types of authority systems
explain weber’s 3 authority systems
- traditional - authority from long lasting beliefs
- charismatic - authority from extraordinary abilities, characteristics and treats
- rational- legal - rules legally and rationally enacted
west = rational-legal
everywhere else = mix of 1&2
how was weber’s theory recieved
- widely accepted because he didn’t propose radical solutions to problems
- weber seen as alternative to marx by conservatives
- thought in cause and effect terms instead of diallectically
- marx focused too much on economy, weber considered all social life
explain Simmel’s theory?
- contemporary of weber
- focused on individual level, not just large scale structures
- argued there are forms of interaction (like conflict), and types of interactant (strangers)
- understanding interactions is important for sociology
what are the 3 themes of british sociological thought
British soc shaped in 19th century by 3 often conflicting sources
- political economy
- ameliorism
- social evolution
What is ‘political economy’
- theory of industrial and capitalist society by adam smith
- British soc saw the market as positive force, and source of social order and integration in society
- thus, sociologists ought not to criticize society, but gaher data
- focus on individuals who make up structures
- emperical sociologists collecting individual level data
Explain ameliorism
- desire to solve social problems by reforming individuals
- acknowledge that there are social problems, but they want to preserve society
- reform system so it continues as is, can victim blame
explain social evolution
influenced by spencer and comte
Explain Spencer and Comte
Spencer less conservative than compte
- both think state shouldn’t intervene in individual affairs
- world is growing progressively better, and should be left alone
- survival of the fittest, social darwinism
- society = organism
explain evolutionary theory
2 perspectives
- increasing size of society
- societies grow by unifiying more and more adjoining groups - militant to industrial societies
- militant societies structured for defensive and offensive warfare
- industrial socieites - warfare isn’t functional and impedes evolution
= based on friendship altruism and cooperation
reaction to spencer in britain
- against government intervention and social reform
- views against ameliorative British society
Who was an Italian sociologist?
Pareto
- major ideas in refutation of marx
- emphasized role of nonrational factors such as human instincts
- elite theory of social change, - elites must be responsible, masses not revolutionary force
