famous sociologists

Question 1

recognized that societies change over time and caused difficulty for people as they tried to adapt; identified two major categories for analyzing society: social statics and social dynamics; believed that societies have a natural tendency to reach equilibrium; most important contribution to society was positivism; considered the inventor of the term “sociology”

Answer 1

auguste comte

Question 2

first to argue that the reform of criminals was more effective than vicious punishment; best remembered for his work on suicide (egoistic, altruistic, anomic)

Answer 2

émile durkheim

Question 3

lived during industrial revolution; tried to understand why most people became poor while few became rich; concluded that the uneven distribution of society led to poor-rich conflict; coined terms “bourgeoisie” and “proletariat”; believed that society’s problems could only be resolved when wealth was equally shared by and distributed amongst all members of society

Answer 3

karl marx

Question 4

modified marx’s approach; believed that wealth was not the only factor in power differences among groups but also education, religion, politics and family structures were also important in class differences; believed that power came in many forms; supported government bureaucracies

Answer 4

max weber

Question 5

focused on the concept of people’s freedom to make choices; in making choices we are motivated to fit into society; said we will adopt the choices of a behaviour group with which we most strongly identify with depending on our place/role in society

Answer 5

talcott parsons