Sociology Essay

Submitted By dw11hu
Words: 2792
Pages: 12
Open Document
Theoretical Contrasts: Durkheim, Weber & Marx
Freedom & Control in the Modern World
- Freedom Enlightenment:
-goal was to prove oneself through intellectual development, or to seek re-justification of society, people have to be free from strains of old feudal older
- modern world has enhanced human capacities to transform physical environment and fashion for useful things for people
- greater degree of freedom
- development of science and rational thinking liberates our minds from superstition (weber concerned with this), we are freer thinkers
- rights and freedoms 300 years ago would be unthinkable now formally extended to people around the world

Progress, stagnation or regression in the modern world?
- see a lot of un-freedom in the practice in the world
- world is more irrational thank thinkers wanted to see
- a lot of superstition and regression in rights (progress but also regression)
- project of human freedom has not been fully realized

Durkheim, Marx & Weber on the setback of freedom in modern society
- each theorists believe that human freedom was being undermined through the social processes that could be understood through their analysis

Durkheim
- Individual freedom; organic social whole; morality
- concerned less about freedom about the negative social effects of individuals into the social organism
- strange notion of freedom
- begins from social organism, individual has to relate to that social whole; has to do so through a moral order
- From traditional to modern society; dislocation/fragmentation of collective conscious
- involved element of division of labour (society differentiated as individuals become more dis-similar to one another)
- the collective conscious that once cohered society through a moral order (religion) becomes dislocated and fragmented and does not operate the collective conscious
- traditional to modern involved organic to mechanic
- organic has not yet been fully achieved
- the moral regulation of a collective conscious has not yet completely come about
- have an incomplete of the tradition to organic solidarity generation anomie (deficit of moral and normative regulation)
-Anomie
- feelings of ruthlessness – don’t know your place in society
- moral breakdown that is the root cause of economic crisis/class conflict
- society must develop some sort of new moral order to overcome these feelings of anomie, deficit of moral regulation
- is the individual subject to anomie free? In a sense yes (he is free from the traditional moral constraints, norm of regulations, values that exist externally to individual) but, true freedom cannot be achieved under conditions of a deficit of moral regulation
- anomie is the partial breakdown of social integration
- since human beings social creatures, only be free in and through society, genuine freedom must involve the re-integration of the individual into society
- cannot be done in a forced way (follow order, do this job like it)
- talking about the voluntary willing internalization of the common moral order
- freedom is not the absence of moral constraint, it is the willful acceptance of moral constraints that are suitable for the modern world
- not sure the views of the economist
Anomie, moral regulation, and freedom
- smith Mandeville Hobbes, Locke, for them the isolated individual is free and society imposes restrictions, erodes freedom
- Durkheim you cant be free against society, only within society
- cant persist ego to impose self interest
- Durkheim draws on by Rousseau (general will), but also Saint-Simon
- Durkheim’s view optimistic about freedom in the modern world (hasn’t been achieved really, observes disruption of society caused by transition of modern world, but feels its temporarily and can be fixed by moral means)
- division of labour given birth to un-freedom (capitalist) capitalism not be altered or done away with, but individuals attitudes towards there role can
Show More

Related Documents: Sociology Essay

Sociology: Sociology and Sociology Sociological Perspective Essay examples

What is Sociology? Sociology is the study of society. Sociology applies to our everyday lives. There are hidden markers in society that tells us who we are and how we interact with others. It is the study of human behavior, collective action, interaction and the consequences of actions and interactions. Sociology is about pulling back the curtain to expose what is going on. It also help de-familiarize things. It is a particular way of studying the world. It’s the Systematic study of social…

Words 346 - Pages 2

Sociology: Sociology and Socialization Essay

Sociology Week 3 Assignment July 3, 2013 Socialization is the process by which individuals gain the knowledge, language, social skills, and value to conform to the norms and roles required for mixing into a group or a community. It is also defined as a combination of both self-imposed which means the individual wants to conform, externally-imposed rules, and the expectations of the others. There are several agents that pertain to socialization…

Words 498 - Pages 2

Sociology: Sociology and Symbolic Interactionism Essay

Simone Johnson February 24, 2014 Sociology Paper #1 Sociology Sociology embarks on our everyday life. Throughout this essay, I will be giving examples from a series of youtube videos and everyday situations and explain how they are entwined with Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5. These chapters touch on the subjects of Language, Symbolic Interactionism, Sociologist Research and Mass media/Peer Groups. Prime examples from rappers and normal people living day by day will be used to explain how they relate…

Words 653 - Pages 3

Essay on Sociology: Sociology and Childhood

Sociology Examine the ways in which childhood can be said to be socially constructed (24) It can be argued that they are many ways in which society has indeed socially constructed childhood. This has not happened in just the last 10 years, this has happened over many centuries. In this time society has changed how childhood is structured and how children are treated and is still ever changing with the influences from different cultures and different sides of the world. Because of Cross-cultural…

Words 783 - Pages 4

Sociology: Sociology and a. Social Life Essay

Sociology 103 Summer 2011 Term Test 1 Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. Indicate your answer by blacking in the relevant box on the SCANTRON sheet. Be sure to print your name and student number clearly on the answer sheet. 1. Most people agree that sociology first emerged: (pg1) a. approximately 70 years ago, following the end of World War II b. in the early 19th century when Max Weber invented the term sociologie about 200 years ago…

Words 4549 - Pages 19

Sociology Essay

What is Sociology? Discuss the key sociological concepts and perspectives and apply one perspective to an area of your professional practice. The primary purpose of this essay is to discuss sociology. Some definitions will be discussed as well as sociological concepts and perspectives. A sociological perspective will also be applied to the area of Health and Social Care provisions. According to Marsh and Keating (2006) “Sociological is regarded as an essential part of training courses for teachers…

Words 1264 - Pages 6

Sociology: Sociology and Symbolic Interactionism Essay

Sociology Mike Minz Symbolic Interactionism’s history was originated with two key theorists, George Herman Mead and Charles Horton Cooley. George Mead’s approach to the theory of Symbolic Interactionism was so powerful that he was regarded by other theorists as the founder of that tradition. Mead was a teacher in the Philosophy department, but still was recognized by sociologists as the man who taught a generation everything they know about this…

Words 998 - Pages 4

Sociology: Sociology and Sociological Perspective Essay

Homework 1: What is Sociology? Path 1: Personal experiences drive the types of knowledge a sociologist finds interesting, and the types of knowledge they will create. Do any of the experiences described by the presenters interest you? Which one(s) do you find the most interesting and why? Do you have a personal connection to any of the topics or ideas discussed? Can you think of a personal experience that might be examined sociologically? Out of all of the presenter’s in the video, Joe Keller…

Words 1236 - Pages 5

Sociology Essay

Sociology 110.67 Chapter #1 Essay Sociology is very plainly defined as the study of human society. While this may sound like a very straight forward and basic definition, society is actually a very complex system that is designed to help shape all of us in various ways throughout our lives. Society helps to shape our thoughts, emotions, the way we behave and perceive things, and can even help us to better understand ourselves as individuals. In a sense, it is a sociologists’ job to help determine…

Words 817 - Pages 4

Sociology: Sociology and Emile Durkheim Essay

The Origins of Sociology Auguste Comte: (1798-1857) Auguste Comte is considered to be the founder of sociology. Comte’s main concern was the improvement of society. If societies were to advance, Comte believed social behavior had to be studied scientifically. Comte published his theories in a book titled Positive Philosophy, but died before people could appreciate his work. Harriet Martineau: (1802-1876) She lost her sense of taste, smell, and hearing at an early age. Her profound deafness…

Words 742 - Pages 3