ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY

1. ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY

2. Sociology emerged as a separate discipline in themid 1800s in western Europe, duringtheonset of the Industrial Revolution. Industrializationaffectedallaspects of human existence – wherepeoplelived, thenature of thierwork, howtheyviewedlife, and their interpersonal relationships. • Earlysociologistswhofocusedonthese social changesinclude Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, HarrietMartineau, and W.E.B. Du Bois.

3. TheBirth of Sociology Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

4. The term sociology was coined by French philosopher Auguste Comte in 1838, who for this reason is known as the “Father of Sociology.” Comte felt that science could be used to study the social world. Just as there are testable facts regarding gravity and other natural laws, Comte thought that scientific analyses could also discover the laws governing our social lives. • It was in this context that Comte introduced the concept of positivism to sociology—a way to understand the social world based on scientific facts. He believed that, with this new understanding, people could build a better future. He envisioned a process of social change in which sociologists played crucial roles in guiding society.

5. Herbert Spencer • He grew up in England, and issometimescalledthesecondfounder of sociology. Spencer disagreedwithwhat Comte believed. He believedthatsocietiesevolvefromlower (barbarian) tohigher (civilized) forms, and thatthemostcapable and intelligentmembers of a societysurvive, whilethelesscapable die out. • Spencer hadthe idea thatcharity and helpingpoorpeoplewerewrong and theyoffendedmanyspeciallythefittest.

6. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

7. Karl Marx & ClassConflict • Karl Marx notonlyinfluencedsociologybutalsolefthismarkonworldhistory. He wascalledone of thethreegreatestmodernthinkers. Marx wasexiledfromGermanyforproposingrevolution. • Marx thoughtthatpeopleshould try tochangesociety, but he alsobelievedthattheengine of human historyisclassconflict. He saidthatthebourgeoisie are locked in a conflictwiththeproletariat.

8. Emile Durkheim and Social Integration • The prime proffesionalgoal of Emile was togetsociologyrecognized as a separate academic discipline, because up to 1977 it hadbeenviewed as part of history and economics. • Hisothergoalwasto show how social forcesaffectpeople´sbehavior. Emile believedthat social factorsunderlie suicide, and thisiswhatkeeps a group´sratefairlyconstantyearafteryear. • Durkheim identified that protestants, males, and the unmarried are more likely to commit suicide.

9. “ Human behaviorcannot be understoodonly in individualisticterms; wemustalways examine the social forcesthataffectpeople´slives.” Emile Durkheim

10. Max Weber and theProtestantEthic Weber believedthatreligionwasthe central force of social change. He theorizedthattheRomanCatholicbeliefsystemencouragedfollowerstoholdontotraditionalways of life, whiletheProtestantbeliefsystemencourageditsmembersto embrace change.

11. Importantterms: • Class conflict: struggle between capitalists and workers. • Bourgeoisie: those who own the mean of production • Proletariat: the mass of workers who do not own the means of production. • Social integration: the degree to which members of a group or a society feel united by shared values and other social bonds.

12. Values: thestandardsbywhichpeople define whatisdesirableorundesirable, goodorbad, beautifulorugly.