Origin and Formation of Sociological Thought

Question 0

What intellectual changes occurred which led to Modernity? (5)

Answer 0

1. Philosophers of enlightenment (Berkely, Locke, Hume, Kant, Voltaire, Descartes) overthrow pre modern world view, ruled by dogmas and practices of church and monarchy imposed fixed fixed social hierarchy.
2. End of divine rights of kings
3. End of unquestioned obedience to church (secularisation)
4. Secularisation allows rise of science: Theoretical mapping of the world- the idea that it could be known
5. Natural Science and Social Science

Question 1

What political changes occurred which led to Modernity?

Answer 1

1. Challenge to concentration of power on both religious and secular forms follows (hence the age of revolutions from 1770s onwards)
2. Rise of forms of democracy
3. Deprecation of state and society, rule and state
4. Emergence of recognisable political traditions
   (Liberal wholeheartedly endorsed modernity, free trade etc)
   Conservative lamented and disagreed with democratic and technological
   assumptions
   Radical embraced modernity but with reservations as to the unequal distribution of results)

Question 2

What are the economic changes which led to modernity?

Answer 2

1. Rapidly increase changing fashion for consumer goods
2. Rise of capitalism and free trade
3. Expansion of international trade
4. Technology changes feed demand and creates new demand
5. Secularisation
6. Political changes- end of divine rights and rise of political negotiation
7. Emergence of capitalism
8. Rise of natural sciences as independent spheres of knowledge outside traditional authority

Question 3

What social factors which led to modernity?

Answer 3

1. Urbanisation
2. Industry and the factory system (later mass production)
3. Bureaucratic centralisation and organisation (rationalisation)
4. Population migration
5. Modern medicine
6. Scientific discoveries allow me theories
7. Constant adoption of new technologies

Question 4

What 3 directions did social science develop in, according to Peter Hamilton?

Answer 4

1. Rational-scientific
2. Political
3. Expressionist

Question 6

What does rational scientific tradition involve? (4)

Answer 6

1. Developing patterns
2. Classificatory Anthropology
3. Social Darwinism- Herbert Spencer (application of Darwinist theory to human society
4. Francis Galton and eugenics ( French tradition of measuring to identify recurrent in terminological profiling

Question 7

What does political tradition involve? (4)

Answer 7

1. Typified by legacy of Karl Marx
2. Point is not only to describe but to enable change
3. Analysis of social division and inequality
4. Understanding how things work and how actions are conditioned

Question 8

What are the 2 contrasting metaphors within political tradition?

Answer 8

1. Functionality

2. Conflict

Question 9

What does the expressionist tradition involve? (3)

Answer 9

1. Geographic
2. Ethnographic anthropology
3. Micro-level empiricism