Founding Figures Flashcards
Auguste Comte: problem and solution
Intellectual anarchy
An evolution in thinking
Theory
A set of logical interacted statements that attempt to describe,explain, and occasionally predict social events
Key idea: Comte
Positivism-the belief that the world can best be understood through scientific inquiry not religion.
Law of three stages
1) theological- social leaders. Explanations based on Religion, priests, monarchy
2) meta physical- abstract speculation. Nation, states, law, military
3) positivism- systematic observation, industry, economy, science
Emile Durkheim-problem and solution
Rapid social change, strain, individualism
Solution- social solidarity. Father of functionalism saw society as a working system in which each part was functional to its overall health
Durkheim and social facts
In every society there is a clearly determined group
Separated purely individual independent social aspect. Patterned ways of acting thinking and feeling
Ex:religion or language
Karl Marx
Founder of the conflict perspective. Cared about social problems rooted in the economic system of capitalism
Key idea: conflict, exploration and alienation
Class conflict
Struggle between the capitalist class and the working class
Capitalism
Uncontrollable greed for profit at the expense of humanity
Capitalist class
Uses superior resources to exploit working class
Proletariat
Must sell labor for wage and power
Alienation
Feeling of powerlessness from others and oneself due to slavery under capitalism
Revolution
Radical change to create a class free society
Max weber
Complex. Depressive. Pessimistic
Human life dominated by society. Analyzed the rationalization of life. Understand how others see the world.
Key idea: power, domination, social control
Anomie
Condition in which social control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and a sense of purpose in society
