SOC101 Updated Highlighted Handouts 2023

Lesson Overview

 Meaning of Sociology

THE ORIGIONS OF SOCIOLOGY

Lesson-01

 Scientific thinking vs tradition

 August Comte

Herbert Spencer

Karl Marx

 Emile Durkheim

Topic-001: Meaning of Sociology

Sociology is the systematic and scientific study of society, social structures, and human behaviour. Sociologists examine how these social structures and institutions come into being as well as the structural and institutional influences that impact our daily lives, behaviours, and societal values. The fact that sociology is an academic field of study does not, however, imply that it is merely "a thing to be studied... sociology is, first and foremost, a thing lived" (Lemert, 2008: xv). The sociologist Peter Berger (1963:4) may have been correct when he stated that " Sociology is not a practise but an attempt to understand." This necessitates that sociologists approach routine events in a slightly different way than the majority of people do (Thomson and Hickey, 2016).

Topic-002: Scientific Thinking vs Tradition

The scientific revolution of the 17th century opened the way for a fresh perspective on the universe. Systematic observation and empirical data were highly valued components of the scientific method. This approach challenged conventional wisdom and notions. It led to the development of new academic specialties like sociology. Sociology was developed as a result of the social problems and changes of the contemporary era. It made an effort to use science to investigate social problems. Sociology sought to provide a logical and ordered understanding of society and human behaviour. It challenged established ways of thinking and offered new perspectives on the social environment.

Major Sociologists

Topic-003: Positivism: Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

According to Blumberg (1974), Auguste Comte had a science education while being raised as a Catholic nobleman. He was Claude Henri de Saint-Simon (1760–1825)'s (1760–1825) private secretary and partner for a long time. Saint-Simon promoted an observational, positivist social scientific technique. The word "sociology," which Comte popularized, was used to convey his idea that a social physics, or science that would mimic the natural sciences, might reveal general principles characterizing so ciety. Comte is r ecognized for creating a " Positive Philosophy" for the study of humanity (Dillon 2014).

Focus on Objectivity

of plants by biologists. Comte felt that social life could be researched in a manner comparable to how we don't anticipate a biologist's actual findings of plant life to be influenced by his or her values or social background (Dillon 2014).

Positivism

Auguste Comte is credited with being the first to advocate positive thinking, or the application of the scientific method to the social context. Comte's views on the French Revolution's upheavals and the changes he experienced when he moved to Paris from the little hamlet where he had grown up led him to become interested in the links that bind society. He began to wonder what causes social order, as opposed to chaos or anarchy. He wondered what causes society to change once it has set itself on a certain course. Comte came to the conclusion that these problems required the application of the scientific method. Just as the scientific approach had revealed the law of gravity, the laws underpinning society will be revealed. Comte first used the term "sociology" to refer to this novel area of research, which he called "the study of society" (from the Greek logos, "study of," and the Latin socius, "companion," or "being with others"). He asserted that the objective of this new science was to identify social principles and then use them to promote social improvement. Comte developed the lofty expectation that sociologists can fundamentally alter society and improve conditions for everybody (Henslin 2010).

Law of three Stages

According to Comte, sociology is the end result of a three-stage historical progression. People held the religious belief that society is how God's will is manifested from the beginning of human history until the end of the European Middle Ages about 1350 C.E. The theological perspective gave way to a metaphysical period of history when people began to see society as a natural system rather than a supernatural one with the advent of the Renaissance in the fifteenth century. Early scientists like the Polish astronomer Copernicus (1473–1543), the Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo (1564–1642), and the English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton (1642–1727) contributed to what Comte called the scientific stage of history. Comte made a contribution by extending the scientific method—first employed to explore the physical world—to the study of society. in 2012 (Macionis).

Topic-004: Social Darwinism Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

Spencer was born on April 27, 1820, in England. He is frequently referred to as the second founder of sociology and is regarded as the British counterpart to Aristotle. His thoughts had a significant influence on subsequent writers. It is impossible to separate the name of Spencer from the introduction of sociology to England. He might be thought of as an original and independent thinker. The fields of philosophy, biology, psychology, anthropology, and sociology have all benefited greatly from his contributions. The following is a list of Herbert Spencer's major works.

1. Social Statics (1850)
2. First Principles (1862).
3. The study of Sociology (1873)
4. The Principles of Sociology in three volumes (1876-96)

processes and causes, that physical scientists employ, as demonstrated, for instance, in the study subject with the same objectivity and impartiality, as well as the same systematic attention to According to Comte, sociology should only consider observable evidence and approach its

5. The Man verses the State (1884)

Spencer’s evolutionary theory and Sociology

He asserted that cultures evolve naturally from more primitive ("barbarian") to more sophisticated ("civilised") forms. This natural process improves civilization. The strongest and smartest members of a society—often referred to as "the fittest"—survive while the less capable and intelligent individuals perish. The fittest people will create a more advanced civilisation, unless misguided good people get in the way and let the less fit (the lower classes) survive. Spencer referred to this idea as "survival of the fittest." Charles Darwin is widely credited with having proposed that species evolve over time as they adapt to their environment (Henslin 2010), despite the fact that Spencer coined the phrase. Spencer and Social Darwinism Darwin discusses the evolution of species, while Spencer discusses the evolution of society. Because Darwin is more well-known, Spencer's thesis is known as social Darwinism. (If the situation had been different, we might be discussing "biological Spencerism."). Others felt Spencer's assertion that helping the needy was improper offensive. Many wealthy merchants of the day, however, supported the theory of the survival of the fittest because they thought they were "the fittest" and, therefore, superior. Thanks to Spencer's perspectives, I'm positive some of them were able to avoid feeling bad about living opulently while those around them were hungry (Henslin, 2010).

Ethics and Politics

Spencer argues that morality was formed by people, even though God decides what is good and bad. The failure of a civilization to adapt to its surroundings was the root of evil, which would have lessened in a properly evolved society. Spencer's opposition to government meddling in private concerns, especially economic ones, can be characterized as libertarian politics. He also disapproved of organizations, schools, and other services run by the government, such as rubbish collection. Additionally, he was against private altruism since he adhered to the idea that only the strongest would survive. Whether it came from the government or an individual, he thought charitable giving benefited the ill and underutilized elements of society.

Topic-005: Capitalism: Karl Marx (1818-1883)

He was a political philosopher and economist from Germany who was born in Prussia in 1818.

Communist Manifesto was written that year by Marx and Friedrich Engels, who had both participated in the German revolutionary movement. Marx's revolutionary beliefs led to his expulsion from Germany and later France. 1883 saw his passing (Dillon 2014).

Wage labor

Although wage workers may believe they are only attempting to make ends meet, in reality, their labour power is a commodity that is bought and sold on the market for the benefit of others' profit-seeking (Dillon 2014).

Alienation

It could seem that the division of labour is necessary in order to assign responsibility and expertise for the many complex activities that must be completed in society and to ensure that labour is used efficiently to produce the large amount of commodities needed to meet consumer demand. Marx wants us to see it otherwise, as dehumanizing to the individual and to society.

r. Due commodities (with exchangeand use-value), which leads to alienation, or alienated labou In Europe, 1848 was known as the " Year of Revolutions" because workers' and commoners' uprisings against the monarchs in Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and France. The

According to Marx, commercialization of labour culminates in the reduction of employees to