Week 5-6: structuralism and marxism Flashcards
Some of these key thinkers that kept the discipline alive include:
Max Weber and the Emile Durkheim
the more classical and the undisputed champions of sociology:
Adam Smith and Karl Marx
famous for his sociological works and most importantly, regarded as the proponent of structural-functionalism
Talcott Parsons
the title of Talcott Parson’s doctoral dissertation with his main focus on the work of Werner Sombart and Max Weber
The Concept of Capitalism in the Recent German Literature
understanding everything in relationship to a greater system
structuralism
as drawn from Parsonian theory, is an elaboration and synergy of structuralism and functionalism
structuralism-functionalism
the percentage of countries that has a capitalistic economy
80-90%
the key thinker of the Marxist ideology and one of the best known sociologists and political philosophers of the 19th century.
Karl Marx
In 1841, Marx completed his doctoral thesis entitled:
The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature
This major work was eventually published in 1848 and continues to be an important sociological work until today.
the communist manifesto
the co-author of the very famous work The Communist Manifesto
Friedrich Engels
the most important work for Marx
Das Kapital or Capital: Critique of Political Economy
one’s stature in society, normally based on economic capabilities.
class or social class
the two classes described by Marx:
proletariat and the bourgeoisie
According to Peter Singer, Marx had developed two crucial insights from his negative stance against capitalism:
1) economics is the chief form of alienation and (2) the working class or the proletariat is the solution to the liberation of society from economics or capitalist domination.
There are two classes:
the working class or proletariat and the ruling class or bourgeoisie
Therefore, alienation for Marx can be found in the following levels:
- Alienation of Worker from Products
- Alienation of Worker from Labor Process
- Alienation of Worker from Human Nature
- Alienation of Worker from Other Workers
The goal of an economic-centered and capitalist-inspired work place is the generation of more products. Once the worker is done with the product, he disowns it. In this situation, there is a need for more production and less possession. From a capitalist point-of-view: more production = more profit.
1.Alienation of Worker from Products
The worker is involved in a setting where production is key. Thus it is result oriented and not process oriented. The worker is forced to abide by the same technique, the same default setting, when attempting to produce something from their labor. It takes away creativity from the worker, and results in a monotonous, robot-like mode of production.
2.Alienation of Worker from Labor Process
Production is the only focus the worker should have. One’s personal issues and development, as well as experiences that could enhance human nature are neglected for more production.
3.Alienation of Worker from Human Nature
Workers are forced to pay attention to the production only. Thus they will have no time to interact with fellow workers, whose main focus too is to do labor in exchange for salaries. Workers are alienated from this experience to make way for an undivided attention for the production of goods.
4.Alienation of Worker from Other Workers
Communism was once the form of government of Russia under the banner of the _____
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Today, the following countries adhere to a communist form of government:
China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam.
In the Philippines, Marxism is followed by the:
Communist Party of the Philippines.
an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
capitalism
is one’s stature in society, normally based on economic capabilities. These two classes are (1) the working class, or what Marx calls the proletariat, and (2) the bourgeoisie or the ones who own the modes of production in society or, in other words, the investors of profit.
class
a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately owned property. (Merriam-Webster Definition)
communism
a method for analyzing language, narratives, and cultural phenomena that uncovers basic elements that form structures (often binary oppositions).
structuralism
an approach that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. It looks for a structure’s social function.
structuralism functionalism
