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SOC 301 > Lecture Notes Intro & Karl Marx > Flashcards

Lecture Notes Intro & Karl Marx Flashcards

1
Q

Sociology

A

Study of society (systematic study of social life)

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2
Q

Theory

A

a set of interrelated ideas that allows for the systematization of knowledge on x,y, and z.

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3
Q

social life is composed of:

A

1) structure & individual
2)public & private
3)Macro & Micro

These all interact with each other

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4
Q

Functions of theories

A
  1. understanding (what is happening?)
  2. explanation (what does this mean?)
  3. prediction (what should we do?)

*analytical tools

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5
Q

Classical theories

A
  1. August Comte (1798-1857) French
  2. Karl Marx (1818-1838) German
  3. Max Weber (1864-1920) German
  4. Emile Durkheim (1818-1917) French
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6
Q

Contemporary theories

A
  1. Structural/ functional theories
  2. Conflict/ critical theories
    -feminist theories
    -queer theories
    -postmodern theories
  3. Interactionist theories
  4. Postmodern theories
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7
Q

the 4th industrial revolution (2022)

A

brought robots, biotechnology, driverless cars, human-less factories, etc.)
builds on the digital revolution representing new ways in which technology becomes embedded within societies.

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8
Q

industrial revolution in the 18th century

A

“the shift from agricultural to factory production”

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9
Q

classical sociological theories
-why early 19th century?

A

Intellectual development
-science (power, cars)
-the enlightenment

Economic system
-industrial revolution
-capitalism

Political system
-french revolution (gov. got rid of church)
-secularization
-monarchy to republic

Social system
-urbanization
-bureaucracy

These all brought on Modern Society/ Traditional society

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10
Q

New social problems in the 19th century Europe.

A

Social class division
1. a rise of middle class: managers, small business people, white collar workers.
2. a huge gap between the wealthy and working class (inequality becomes more real and noticeable (new cars/ etc))

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11
Q

Urbanization: poor working/ living conditions

A
  1. parks and open spaces almost nonexistent
  2. many people lived in extremely overcrowded conditions
  3. open drains and sewers flowed along the streets with garbage and excrement
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12
Q

Karl Marx Max weber Emile Durkheim

A

inequality social institutions social order
capitalism rationalization collectivity
class struggle Bureaucracy
revolution

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13
Q

sociological theory

A

a set of interrelated ideas that allow for the systematization of knowledge on social life

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14
Q

what is social life?

A

Individuals (the nature of people?)
-society (structure) (the nature of society?)

                                         >

 how do people and society interact with each other?
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15
Q

Karl Marx: Philosophical background

A

The dialectic idealism: G. Hegel (1770-1831)
*Dialectic
-contradictions: an inherent part of reality
-things in reality change over time because they must work themselves out to resolve the contradictions
–> contradictions are the source of historical change

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16
Q

idealism

A

-human being: an abstract thinking being
-human being relates to objects by thinking about it
-ideas determine history

*Marx ACCEPTED the dialect and OPPOSED to idealism.

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17
Q

Dialectic materialism

A

Marx’s focus on the material world
-human nature
‘no “true” human nature that exists beyond our cognitive realm
**-the nature of any creature is
-simply what it DOES (life-activity)
-in the physical world they live in (materialism)

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18
Q

Human being is__ (according to marx)

A

-what they do
-to meet their needs (materialism)

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19
Q

what is uniquely human?

A

*Species-Being -Human potentials and power that people have to create something in reality that previously existed only in our imagination
-objectification
-through LABOR (mode of realizing species-being)
-any sort of purposive activities (painting, singing, video games)
-the basic form of the way human is related to nature: not one-directional relationships

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20
Q

Marx’s Materialist view of history

A

History: changes in the way people live in society over time
-human beings can live when their physical needs are met (you need to eat, rest, wear clothes) can be met through…

Economic production
-hunting, farming factory..

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21
Q

Base/ superstructure

A

Economic production -> foundation of society (BASE)*
cooperation between people (SUPERSTRUCTURE)*
-foundation of human relations
-rules for interactions
-language, customs
-social institutions (family)

Base and superstructure are the way people LIVE.
economic production and cooperation are THE WAY.

22
Q

The contradictions between bases and superstructures: resolution of the contradictions

A

-brings new forms of economic productions (base)
-brings new forms of human relations (superstructure)

23
Q

Marx’s explanation on the transition from premodern to modern society.

A

-explained by changes in a mode of production
-from agricultural society to industrial society
–> capitalistic society

24
Q

Capitalism

A

-sustains its life through continuation of capital circulation
–> capital growth

25
Q

Human beings: have material needs for survival

A

-met by producing objects

Commodity
—use value: for personal use or for use by others in immediate environment

— exchange value: for being exchanged for other objects for money (exchanging phone for money)

example/ one pair of shoes, one load of bread: qualitatively
-different use value so incomparable

-you need a quantitative property common to shoes and bread
-measured by the quantity of labor
-measured in time
-exchanged through a medium
-money

26
Q

labor theory of value

A

-measured by the quantity of labor
-measured in time
-exchanged through a medium
-money

27
Q

Non-capitalistic society

A

things are exchanged for things (use value)
commodity 1 -> money -> commodity 2

28
Q

capitalist society

A

things are exchanged for more money (exchange value)

money -> commodity 1 -> more money -> commodity 2 -> more money -> endless exchange

-labor as the base of value gets hidden more and more (Fetishism of commodities)

29
Q

Capitalism

A

-sustains its life through continuation of capital circulation
-> capital growth

Q- how to make the ‘continuation of capital circulation possible?
A; class division capitalistic society

Marx did NOT like capitalism

30
Q

Bourgeoisie

A

*a group of people owns what is needed for production

31
Q

Proletariat

A

*a group of people who don’t own means of production
-> selling labor (commodity)

32
Q

How do capitalist make their capital grow?

A
  1. Exploitation
    -capitalists take surplus value from workers.
  2. Alienation
    -workers labor in accordance with the purpose of the capitalists
    -workers are detached from:
    -the work they do
    -the products they produce
    -people they work with
    -human nature
  3. Ideology
    -systems of ruling ideas that attempt to hide the contradiction in capitalism
    -leads to the creation of subsystems of ideas that support the prevailing order in capitalistic society (e.g religion, philosophy, literature, legal system)
    -ideology explains away those experiences that reveal the contradictions -usually as personal problems
    -present the capitalist contradictions as really being a contradiction in human nature and one that cannot be fixed by social change
    -ex/ achieving the American dream/ seeing someone achieve something despite their odds (such as growing up really poor)
33
Q

Ideology examples

A

values of equality and freedom?
common belief: succession of abstract and universal ideas from human history

Ideas that emerge out of everyday life in capitalism which reflect reality in an inverted manner.

34
Q

The concept of equality + the concept of freedom

A

= the basis of capitalism: the act of exchange (Base)

-the qualitative differences of -commodities are not taken by
commonalities use values force but are freely traded
hidden by their exchange value

-the worker/ employer is free to enter

-bread and shoes are made into the exchange and
equal by reducing them to
their monetary value

-differences of people
(different quality of labor)
are hidden in the exchange act

-anonymity and indifference
constitutes equality in
capitalism

35
Q

alex de tocqueville

A

great supporter of freedom
he was much more critical of equality -which he saw as tending to produce mediocrity during his era of life.

equality also linked to what most concerned him being centralization, especially in the government and the threat centralized government poses to freedom.

he linked equality to “individualism” and the resulting individualists were far less interested in the well-being of the larger “community” than the aristocrats that preceded them.

36
Q

Henri de sain simon

A

significant in the development of both conservative and radical marxian theory.
he was a positivist meaning he believed the study of social phenomena should employ the same scientific techniques as those used in the natural sciences

37
Q

August Comte

A

first to use the term sociology
he believed the study of sociology should be scientific
developed his scientific view, positivism, or positive philosophy to combat what he considered to be the negative and destructive philosophy of the enlightenment

He developed social physics or (sociology)
this was to be concerned with social statistics (existing social structures) and social dynamics (social change)
-he felt social dynamics were more important than statistics

38
Q

Comtes law of the 3 stages

A

1) theological stage
-major idea system emphasized the belief that supernatural powers and religious figures modeled after humankind are the root of everything
2)metaphysical stage
-the belief that abstract forces like “nature” rather than personalized gods explain virtually everything
3) positivistic stage
-belief in science
-people tended to give up the search for absolute causes (god or nature) and instead concentrate on observation of the social and physical world in the search for the laws governing them.

39
Q

Emile dukheim

A

-emphasis on science and social reform
-also seen as an inheritor of the conservative tradition
-Durkheim developed a solid academic base as his career progressed.
-politically liberal but took a more conservative position intellectually.
-like comte he feared and hated social disorder
-most of his work was dedicated to the study of social order
-his view was that social disorders are not a necessary part of the modern world and could be reduced by social reforms.
-he argued that it is the special task of sociology to study what he called social facts
-his main focus was on nonmaterial social facts such as culture and social institutions rather than material social facts such as bureaucracy and law

40
Q

Hegel

A

The dialect and idealism
Dialect- both a way of thinking and an image of the world. it is a view that the world is made up not of static structures but of processes, relationships, dynamics, conflicts and contradictions
Hegel tended to only apply the dialect to ideas whereas Marx felt it applied as well to more material aspects of life such as the economy.

idealism- emphasizes the importance of the mind and mental products rather than the material world. it is the social definition of the physical and material worlds that matters most, not the worlds themselves.

41
Q

Feuerbach

A

served as a bridge between Hegel and Marx
-he was critical of Hegel for his excessive emphasis on consciousness and the spirit of society \
-Feuerbach believed God is simply a projection by people of their human essence onto an impersonal force. people set god over and above themselves, with the result that they become alienated by god and project a series of positive characteristics onto God (he is perfect, almighty, etc) reducing themselves to imperfect and powerless

42
Q

Marx’s labor theory of value

A

the profit of the capitalists was based on the exploitation of the laborer.
Capitalists paid the workers less than they deserved and because they received less pay than the value of what they actually produced the capitalists were able to retain the surplus value and reinvest it. -this was the basis of the entire capitalist system

43
Q

Marx

A

Marx was not a sociologist and didnt consider himself one

his radical ideas and radical social changes he foretold and wanted to bring to life were feared and hated by such thinkers. so he was dismissed as an ideologist.
-he was more of an economist, his interest was in revolution which stood in contrast to the conservative concern for reform and orderly change

44
Q

Marx’s theory

A

Marx offered a theory of capitalistic society based on his image of the basic nature of human beings.
he believed people are basically productive, that is, in order to survive people need to work in and with nature.
in doing so they produce food, clothing, tools and shelter

45
Q

what is capitalism to marx/ alienation

A

a structure (or a series of structures) that erects barriers between an individual and the production process, the products of that process and other people; ultimately it even divides the individual.
-this provides us with alienation
-the breakdown of the natural interconnection among people and between people and what they produce.
this occurs because capitalism has evolved into a two class system in which a few capitalists own the production process, the products and the labor time of those who work for them.

46
Q

Marx and capitalism

A

he believed that the contradictions and conflicts within capitalism would lead to its ultimate collapse but he didnt think the process was inevitable.

47
Q

Webers theory

A

Whereas marx offered a theory of capitalism, webers work was fundamentally a theory of the process of rationalization.
Weber was interested in the general issue of why institutions in the western world had grown progressively more rational while powerful barriers seemed to prevent a similar development in the rest of the world.

48
Q

Simmels theory

A

-had an immediate and profound effect on the development of american sociological theory, whereas marx and weber were largely ignored for a number of years.
-he helped the development of the university of chicago and its major theory, symbolic interactionism.
-he is best known for his work on smaller scale issues such as individual action and interaction.
-forms of interaction and types of interactants
-understanding interaction among people is one of the major tasks of sociology

49
Q

political economy

A

-profound effect on Marx
-british sociologists, like the political economists and unlike Marx saw the market as a positive force, as a source of order, harmony, and integration into society.

50
Q

Ameliorism

A

-a desire to solve social problems by reforming individuals.
-the ameliorists lacked a theory of social structure, a theory of the social causes of such individual problems.

51
Q

Herbert spencer

A

–best known for his large scale theory of social evolution.
he felt that the state should not intervene in individual affairs except in the rather passive function of protecting people.
-Spencer, unlike comte was not interested in social reforms; he wanted social life to evolve free of external control
-Spencer is a social darwinist, he held the evolutionary view that the world was growing progressively better. therefore it should be left alone, outside interference could only worsen the situation.
-he adopted the view that social institutions like plants and animals, adapted progressively and positively to their social environment.
-accepted the view of “survival of the fittest”

52
Q

Harriet Martineau

A

-she studied the relationships between economics, politics and social morality.
-one of her main aims was to make the arguments of political economists relevant to a wide swath of people
-she wrote short novels illustrating the principles of production, distribution and exchange.
-she was then called a ‘public educator and interpreter of scientific doctrines.’
-she embraced the spirit of scientific enlightenment
-she believed that scientific research could be the basis for social progress and reform.

SOC 301 (4 decks)

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