Theoretical Perspectives I: Critical Thinking Flashcards
Empirical Discipline
examines objective facts about the outside world based on gathered data.
Theoretical Discipline
focused on abstraction, identifying basic principles and deduction,
Theory
Conceptual explanation of empirical data, which identifies an underlying principle that governs real outcomes
3 facts about theories
- use clearly-defined concepts to categories groups by their shared characteristics
- describe consistent social relations, or persistent interactions between categories of people they identify
- may be falsifiable: could be used to predict things in society in a way that allows testing theories and modify or reject them if even turns out differently
what are theories used for ?
Help explain and understand the data : offering frame work to think about social phenomena
Empirical
describes the things we can see and measure directly, based on the data
theoretical paradigm
general approach that governs what sort of data sociologists use and shapes how they explain it
Critical Theory
Society that is shaped by group conflict : looks at power inequities and oppression.
Symbolic Interactionism
Society as a product of meaningful individual action, not overall structure.
(focuses on culture, socialization, etc to explain things)
Structural Functionalism
Treats society as a coherent single unit; asks about function parts
- assumes things have a positive role for society
Critical theorists viewpoints on gender inequalities
always assume that inequality is FORCED.
Symbolic interactionist’s viewpoints on gender inequalities
ask how and why individual learn to behave in gender-specific ways
Structural functionalists viewpoints on gender inequalities
asumes EVERYTHING is for the good of society
great chain of being
mediaeval theory that everything that exists could be ranked, from rocks and stones at the bottom, through plants, animals and humans
what claims came from the theory of “divine rights of kings”?
monarchs were on top because God wished it to be thus.
State of nature arguments
thought-experimetn of what human society would be like without any government, in a ‘state of nature’
Legal Equality
same laws apply to everyone, regardless of class, race and gender
Political equality
all citizens have same rights to vote, to due process of law.etc
Social equality
similar level of wealth and status for everyone.
Karl Marx
founder of critical theory as a rigorous sociological approach,
what was Karl Marx’s goal
explain inequality and exploitation within a social system through the use of social-theoretical analysis of capitalism to identify certain contradictions and problems inherent to system.
why are critical theories “so-called”?
criticize existing power imbalances in society: they assume that this benefits one particular group at the expense of others.
what assumptions are made for conflict theory
there must be groups struggling for positions against one another
the proletariat
groups of people who live by selling their labour to earn a wage
The bourgeoisie
groups of people who live by paying others for their labour and selling the item they produce
Marx’s definition of Class
Position in society, defined by whether you own the means of production required stay alive
power
any social resource that allows you to get what you want regardless of the opposition of others
Max weber
Known as ‘the bourgeois Marx’ rejected Marx’s structural account of society, but accepted the idea that conflict is integral to modern societies
Weber’s definition of class
Raw wealth
Weber’s definition of status
honour or social esteem; struggle for respect of others, which gives access to certain privileges
Marx’s beliefs on social, power and conflict.
society: a clear system of production; classes are positions within that system
Power: derived solely from position in economic system
Conflict: caused by structure of society, which pits one class against another
Weber’s beliefs on social, power and conflict.
Social: a number of separate, self-defined groups struggling to control resources.
Power: comes from combination of class, status, and political power
Conflicts: caused by groups seeking to dominate one another, and to seize control of valuable resources
Power Elite or Oligarchy
a small, relatively-homogeneous dominant social group, which controls the main levers of power, often hides its influence, and restricts who can join.
C. Wright Mills
the power elite, identifies key demographic groups who control most important positions in US society, including politics, media and economy
Vertical Mosaic
Porters term to describe power hierarchy in Canada: a vertical hierarchy f racial or ethical groups
John Porter’s vertical mosaic
assessed by Canadian society to teat ideas “ that Canadians are all relatively equal in their possessions, in the amount of money they earn and in the opportunities which they and their children have to get on in the world
Achieved Status
Status or social rank that you have earned by your actions in theory anyone could gain or lose this rank or position
How are hierarchies described by Marx and Weber?
People have the ability to move around.
eg. a worker might get rich enough to become an employer- its unlikely, but not impossible.
Feminist theory
Focuses on society wine advantages of males over females
Critical Race Theory
focuses on systematic, structural advantages of one socially-defined racial or ethic group, often rooted in historical exclusion
Closure
Strategy used by dominant group to prevent access to reward by others
Frank Parkin
Drew the idea of closure from Weber to describe how dominant groups restrict access to certain privileges by arbitrary characteristics
ideological Hegemony
ability of a ruling class to set the values, norms and cultural standards for their society
Antonio Gramsci
Emphasized the need for ruling class to be accepted by the people it dominates as somehow justified in their position
