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The Development of Sociological Thinking

The Development of Sociological Thinking. Classic origins go back to Ionic beginnings (Aristotle and Plato, for example) The growth of the natural sciences in the 17 th -18 th centuries set the pace of how science can be applied to society

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The Development of Sociological Thinking

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  1. The Development of Sociological Thinking • Classic origins go back to Ionic beginnings (Aristotle and Plato, for example) • The growth of the natural sciences in the 17th-18th centuries set the pace of how science can be applied to society • This was especially applicable after the Industrial Revolution

  2. Industrialization & Urbanization • Industrialization: Changes of means of production or how people make a living; when societies are transformed from dependence on agriculture and handmade products to an emphasis on manufacturing and related industries • Urbanization: Movement from the rural to the urban environments

  3. The Industrial Revolution

  4. Early Thinkers: A Concern with Social Order and Stability • Auguste Comte French (1798-1857) • Elements • Origins of the term sociology • Social Statics and Social Dynamics • Natural science applied to society • Positivism

  5. Early Thinkers: A Concern with Social Order and Stability • Harriet Martineau British (1802-1876) • Elements: • Used Comte’s work • Studied religion, politics, childrearing, slavery, immigration in categories of race, class and gender • Sociology: “true science of human nature” • Call for racial and gender equality

  6. Early Thinkers: A Concern with Social Order and Stability • Herbert Spencer British(1820-1903) • Elements • Society as evolving as organic species • Process of struggle • “Social Darwinism” • Only the fittest of persons (and societies) would survive

  7. Early Thinkers: A Concern with Social Order and Stability • Emile Durkheim French (1858-1917) • Elements • Created a methodology of studying society • Social facts • Anomie • Division of labour • First to publish a statistical study (on Suicide)

  8. Differing Views on the Status Quo: Stability versus Change • Karl Marx German (1818-1883) • Elements • Class conflict as the source of change • Bourgeoisie and proletariat • Means of production • Alienation • Revolution

  9. Differing Views on the Status Quo: Stability versus Change • Max Weber German(1864-1920) • Elements • Economic systems as only one source of change i.e.: religion was important • Value free sociology • Verstehen • Study of bureaucracies

  10. Differing Views on the Status Quo: Stability versus Change • Georg Simmel German (1858-1918) • Elements: • Web of patterned interactions among people • Social interaction processes within groups • Size of the social groups (dyad, triad) • Industrialization and urbanization • Class conflict • Individualism

  11. Contemporary Theoretical Perspectives • Functionalist • Conflict • Feminist • Symbolic Interactionist • Postmodernist

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