Durkheim

Question 1

What is a Mechanical Society

Answer 1

Pre-modern societies (smaller groups)

Similarity is the root of all social order (the group is similar which makes them do the same things and share the same beliefs)

Solidarity is based upon the Collective Consciousness, so people share the same beliefs and values

Question 2

What is an organic society?

Answer 2

Modern society

As the population increases the Collective Consciousness loses its hold on people

Because there are more and more individuality people are sharing fewer morals, values, and occupations

As society evolves people become more “individual”

Despite our increased individuality, we become more dependent on the group. (we need others to accomplish things that we are not able to do.)

Our individuality is actually a social product, it is the effect of these external causes that leads us to become more individual

The division of labour leads people to become more individual and at the same time more integrated into group life

Question 3

Definition of “conscience”

Answer 3

1.) To be conscious, aware (French and English)

2.) “Conscience”: a clear conscience (a sense of morality, guilt, virtue) (French)

Question 4

Definition of Collective Consciousness

Answer 4

** Every Social Order is a Moral Order **

Our awareness of the world (consciousness) is morally structured (conscience)

For a society to “function” a shared system of morals and values must be in place to tell people what is right or wrong

Question 5

Solidarity for Durkheim

Answer 5

Durkheim argues that society is like a body, but instead of skin and bones to keep it together it is the ?

Question 6

Two kinds of laws/society

Answer 6

1.) Repressive law: predominant in mechanical society. It wants to punish and make the offender suffer

2.) Restitutive law: predominant in organic society. It wants to restore the harm of the offender and make things go back to the way it was before the crime was committed.
eg: instead of putting someone in jail for not doing a contract that was given to them, it is better to make sure they are finishing the contract so the job can be over.

Question 7

Definition of Sui Generis

Answer 7

A thing of its own kind

Question 8

How can we scientifically study solidarity?

Answer 8

Social solidarity ( social facts) can not be directly observed.

The ‘visible’ symbol of solidarity is legal laws

They are a visible symbol of solidarity because it is written, it is precise, and it is stable.
Also, the way laws are punished can say a lot about a society. eg: physical harm of harm reduction strategies.

The inner state is a manifestation of external things that go through us. So, feelings that we have are expressions of the social reality

Question 9

Collective consciousness vs individual consciousness

Answer 9

The collective consciousness is just what the majority of the population believes, it is different from the individual consciousness.

We are not robots, so everyone is different, but the collective consciousness is the average beliefs that people hold and it creates order

Question 10

Crime, law, and the collective consciousness

Answer 10

Nothing is intrinsically criminal/offensive about an act. Therefore, in different societies, the same act may or may not be seen as criminal. Also, it can depend on the context. eg: shooting someone in the street vs in the context of war.

An act is criminal if it offends the collective consciousness

Question 11

The social reaction to crime

Answer 11

Punishment maintains social order
So, if someone commits a crime there will be a group reaction, and people are going to ask for punishment

It brings us together as a group
eg: 9/11 brought the US together and an enormous vague of patriotism arose from this event.

Societies with a strong collective consciousness are “mechanical” since people’s reaction is automatic. People are all standing against a crime or deviant act.

Question 12

The division of labor

Answer 12

Individuality is the social product of the DOL
In a mechanical society, people pretty much had the same job, but with the DOL we have more diverse jobs. Therefore, while a teacher is doing his job he does not have to grow his food. Everybody has a specialized task and needs other people to do tasks they can not.

The DOL is the new basis of social order/solidarity

It is a social phenomenon and not just an economic one

It emerges from increases in population volume and density (social morphology)

It allows us to peacefully co-exist since each person is not in competition for the same jobs, resources, goals, etc. which creates a social balance and harmony

Question 13

Division of labor vs collective consciousness

Answer 13

As the DOL replaces the collective consciousness restitutive laws becomes predominant

Restitutive laws restore “function” rather than strengthening common beliefs

The laws are not about punishment anymore, but about returning the social system to a functional state

Question 14

DOL normal vs pathological

Answer 14

A DOL that produces social instability is pathological

Question 15

what is anomie

Answer 15

def: a state of normlessness

it is not a psychological state

Question 16

what is a church

Answer 16

a moral community

Question 17

what is collective effervescence

Question 18

what is dysfunction

Question 19

what are elementary forms

Question 20

when does the equilibrium happens

Question 21

what is functionalism

Question 22

what is harmony

Answer 22

hamony happens when the society is in equilibruim

Question 23

What is the homoduplex

Answer 23

The human has two basic

He has desires and wants therefore he needs regulation

He is a social animal therefore he needs integration

Question 24

What are human desire

Answer 24

they are unlimited

society must limit and regulate our desires

we need external social control like laws and gossip

Question 25

Magic for Durkheim

Answer 25

Durkheim says that magic is not the first kind of religion since magic does not have a church

Question 26

methods of durkheim

Answer 26

1. historical: allow to press pause and freeze the social world (social statics: what is stable and social dynamic: what changes (primitive)
2. comparative: how do societies differ and what do they have in common? classify different types of societies. what are the laws, institutions, morals and groups
3. experimental: soc. uses indirect experiment to study. we study social problems. compete does not want to change society like other negative philosopher did. (suicide)

Question 27

what is moral education

Question 28

what is moral order

Question 29

what is negative philosophy

Answer 29

opposites of positivists and scientific like Durkheim and Compte, they were critiquing the monarchy in France and it led to the french revolution. people explain things in methalogical explaination.

Question 30

rules of social methodology

Answer 30

1. only social facts can explain another social fact
2. we need to get rid of any preconceptions
3. we need to distinguish the normal from the pathological

Question 31

Four types of suicide

Answer 31

1. egoistic (lack of integration in the group eg: religious groups protestant more suicides than catholic and jews because less integrated)
2. anomie (too little regulation so people commit suicide because there desire are not regulated and they look like children in a candy store eg: economic boom or bursts like occupy wall street in 2008)
3. altruistic (excess of integration, so not enough individualism most common in mechanical soc. eg: when a elderly member commits suicide to not be a burden for the group or when a women commits suicide because her husband died)

4.fatalistic (when married women are committing suicide because they are too regulated)

Question 32

Compte social order

Answer 32

Modern people need to have faith in science like they had faith in religion and god.

Sociologists must ensure that people are fulfilling their social duties

Sociologists must suppress nonscientific ideas that are threatening order.

Question 33

Durkheim cont’d to Compte’s “faith” in science

Answer 33

Durkheim does not think that we must have faith in science, but we do need something to replace religion that will integrate and regulate us

Question 34

How do we create scientific knowledge?

Answer 34

In sociology, scientists are at the center (subject ) of the object that they are studying. therefore they bring a lot of preconceptions but it is important to avoid them

Question 35

Sources of solidarity

Answer 35

in mechanical societies, it is through collective consciousness

in organic societies, it is in the DOL

Question 36

two forms of pathological DOL

Answer 36

anomic: lack of rules and regulations so creates booms and busts in the economy which leads to suicide

lack of integration: if the DOL is not based on meritocracy then it creates inequalities that are not natural and that are preventing people with skill to do the job they merit like taxis drivers who have a PhD in another country

Question 37

Inequality produces solidarity for Durkheim

Answer 37

Durkheim believes in contractual solidarity, so it still occurs with natural inequalities. but he does not agree that external inequalities are good and one way to get rid of them is by getting rid of inheritance

Question 38

what is normal or pathological

Answer 38

1. needs to see it in society
2. needs to have a function

eg: crime is normal because we see it in every society and it functions is to increase solidarity because it brings the group together to see what this deviant or not.

Question 39

the DOL is functional for whom?

Answer 39

the dol is highly functional for men but very dysfunctional for women. indeed, everything that is femine in the society is devalue (less payed, more choices and financial depnse

Question 40

what DOL are we really seeing

Answer 40

in our society we are seeing a pathological DOL instead of the normal

Question 41

health

Answer 41

biological: the society is like the body, when everything is working it is healthy but when it has problem then it becomes pathological and anomic

Question 42

Social current

Answer 42

periodic, temporary social facts.

to prevent anomic social current

1.we must regulate the economy
2. morally educate people

Question 43

social facts

Answer 43

external force that regulates and integrate and coercive that people can not be willed it away that control the inner state of peolpe

Question 44

individuality

Answer 44

in organic society, people went from collective consciousness to individuality

Question 45

disipline

Answer 45

people get discipline through moral education

Question 46

order

Answer 46

1. to organize or arrange
2. to command, instruct, request