Sociology
We are all part of a community or
society. That society can be something simple like school or something big like
your country. It is very interesting and important to have an idea on how a
society works and to know how that society may affect you.
Sociology is one of the many
social sciences and it is connected to the rest of them in one way or another. Other
social sciences are anthropology, psychology, history, economics, and
political science. History, for example has a great connection with
sociology. Ever since man was intelligent enough to develop a semi complex
societies, there have been major changes in them and in societies around them. Throughout
history we can see a vast amount of social changes like the French revolution
or the industrial revolution. Then we have the connection with psychology,
along with sociology they share a common ground. This similarity is social
psychology which focuses on how society affects the behavior of an individual. Two
disciplines that have great connections with sociology are economics and
political science. These sciences study many of the factors that can lead to
social change like the economy, voting patterns and governmental groups. Finally there are connections with sociology
and anthropology. They are both focused on a community of people but
anthropologists are more concerned with the cultural aspect of less complex
societies while sociology is concerned with complex societies.
Throughout history the nature of human
interaction has interested scholars but it wasn’t until the 19th
century that there was an academic discipline dedicated to it. There were many
factors that lead to the establishment of sociology. The political changes in Europe,
the industrial revolution, and the urbanization of cities were all influential
to sociology. All these factors made it more obvious that society influenced
individuals. In these times changes were most felt in France, England and
Germany. These were the nations that brought the most influential sociologists.
August Comte is considered the
founder of sociology. He was intrigues by the social change caused by the French
revolution. He insisted that statics are processes that hold society together
and that social dynamics are the ones that caused social changes. Then we have Hebert
Spencer who was a sociologist that was influenced by Charles Darwin.
He used Darwin’s theory on the evolution of organisms to apply it to societies.
He argued that the most complex societies were the ones who were most likely to
survive. This view was given the name of
social Darwinism and was used as an excuse for slavery due to the fact
that they thought that the Anglo Saxon race was superior and that other races
were inferior. Many sociologists agreed with both of Spencer and Comte in
different aspects. One of them is Emile Durkheim, yet he also believed
that independent parts of society maintain the system through their functions.
A function is a consequence that an element of society produces for the keep up
of the social system. Karl Marx believed that society was based on its
economy. According to him society is divided between the Capitalists and the
Workers. The capitalists own the means to produce goods while the workers owned
nothing but provided their services. He suggested that social change comes when
the workers overthrow the capitalists and create a classless society. It was
suggested that the only way to really understand the effect of society on
individuals is to put yourself in their place. This was suggested by Max
Weber and he called this the principle of Verstehen.
(Karl Marx)
There are three sociological perspectives
that are used by sociologists. The functionalist perspective views that
society is run by parts and that the way society is maintained is by ´people
agreeing in what is best for society. This is like an election, people pick candidates
and then vote for the best one (at least sometimes). This is why functionalists
recognize that not everything in society runs properly so they call certain
elements dysfunctional. This means that they have a negative consequence
on society. Functions can also be manifest or intended. For example the
manifest function of a house is to have a warm shelter. A function can also be
latent or unintended. For example, the latent function of a house (big
house) is to show wealth and success. The world revolves on conflict. Karl Marx
said that it is conflict that leads to social change. The conflict perspective
focuses o how conflict and competition lead to change. According to them
competition for resources is the basis of social conflict. Functionalists and
conflict theorists are focused on society but in the interactionist
perspective one focuses on how individuals interact with society.
Sociology is a very wide and open
subject. It has many connections with other studies and it is the essence of
the world we live in.
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