Sociology and modernity Flashcards
3 key events that brought about modernity
1) enlightenment
2) industrial revolution
3) democratic revolutions in America and France
what year was the enlightenment?
18th century (1720s-90s)
what is the enlightenment?
shift in ways of understanding the natural and social world
how did hamilton describe the enlightenment?
‘awakening from dark slumbers of superstition and ignorance’
according to ray what are the 4 aspects of enlightenment?
1) critique of religious doctrines
2) enthusiasm for science, as empirical research
3) belief in progress, (intellectually, materially and socially)
4) application of reason, rational thinking to understanding natural and social worlds
enlightenment thinkers e.g. Smith and Hume saw individuals as
‘social creatures’ not metaphysical entities
what years was the industrial revolution?
1730s-1860s
examples of what occured during the industrial revolution
agriculture turned to manufacturing,
scientific knowledge sped up production processes,
shift from rural areas to urban areas
The Democratic revolutions occurred in what years for America and France?
1776 American deceleration of independence
1789 French revolution leading to liberty, fraternity and equality
Morrison (1995) main features of the democratic revolutions
1) assertion of individual rights
2) action as a moving force of history, rather than ideas alone
3) consequences still felt today
4) political ideologies and practices
key issues for sociological thinkers include:
- social order
- social change
- equality
- how to study society
Comte
coined the term sociology. ‘a natural science of society’
how did comte want to make sociology a natural science of society?
wanted to duplicate the scientific approach and share overall framework of use of logic and application to discover universal laws
