SOC 400 Final

1. Compare how Marx and Weber saw society progressing over time (i.e., going in a specic direction or being more varied and contingent) 

Marx was focused on a more identiable pathway, whereas Weber emphasized contingency and variability, advising a look at historical events to see what matters. 

2. What did Marx say was the relationship between the economic system and culture/beliefs? Is culture/beliefs part of the base or the superstructure? 

Marx said the economic base shaped the superstructure (culture/beliefs). 

3. What did Weber say was the relationship between the economic structure and culture/beliefs (in terms of what causes what)? 

Weber said the economic system is NOT the foundation for the superstructure, but it can be the EFFECT of change in other arenas 

4. How is this illustrated in his writings on the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism? (More on this below) 

Weber says religion is part of the cultural change that helped create capitalism. The Protestant Ethic gave rise to the Spirit of Capitalism. 

5. What are the four components of the “spirit of capitalism?” 

1. Work is good 

2. Economic rewards signal virtue 

3. Reason should guide action, not emotion 

4. Delay gratication

6. According to Weber, the spirit of capitalism developed as a result of a specic sect of Protestantism. Which sect? What did the sect believe, what did believers of this sect worry about, and what did they look to for clues that they were ok? Beyond this, how were congregation members expected to live (What were they expected to focus on)? 

Calvinism; Calvinist psychological orientations that fostered SOC: a) Believed in espoused predestination b) People looked for signs they were saved- worldly success was a clue c) Calvinists expected to live methodical and self-depriving lives (hard work and saving) 

7. What evidence do we see today that people still equate economic success and hard work with being a good person?

People are “blessed” when they have monetary success; people who have more money are “nice people” and have “good families.” “Rough parts of town” are towns that are less nancially fortunate.

8. Why, according to Weber, did capitalism not develop in China? What did Chinese religion focus on, and what belief that promoted development of a spirit of Capitalism was Chinese religion missing?

The focus/goal is to accept this world as a given and try to learn and behave more wisely. There is no concept of sin or focus on the afterlife.

9. What was Marx trying to accomplish in his work?

Marx was trying to explain history and capitalism and encourage change.

10. Weber recommended a value-free approach to research. What does this mean?

A value-free approach means objectivity in research

11. Describe Weber’s thoughts on seeking an in-depth understanding of what one is studying (Verstehen). What does one have to rid oneself of to do this? What is the goal?

Verhesten requires one to remove judgments about good/bad, normal/abnormal, and the goal of this is to try and understand the perspective of the people one is studying.

12. What are ideal types, and why are they useful? Be familiar with the ideal types of action and the ideal types of relationships Weber identied.

Ideal types are abstract, pure concepts that allow us to measure phenomena and investigate relationships. The types of action are: traditional, aective (guided by emotion), and rational (focused on eciency). The types of relationships are communal (based on feelings towards each other) and associative (based on logic and calculation most associated with rational action).

13. What source of power did Marx identify?

For Marx, power is in property- economic power is the focus

14. What three sources of power did Weber identify?

Class (economic power), status (social power), and parties (political power)

15. Compare Marx’s conception of Class versus Weber’s conception of class, noting that Weber’s class schema had more dierentiation among classes.

Marx saw class as economic power; Weber saw class as the people who have a similar ability to obtain positions in society, procure goods and services for themselves, and enjoy them via an appropriate lifestyle.

16. What 2 classes did Marx identify, and what determined class position?

Marx identied owners and non-owners (capitalists and proletarians) as the two classes, and their relationship to the means of production determined their class position.

17. What are the two different propertied classes Weber identied, and what is the dierence between them?

People in the propertied class were rentiers (money from investments) and entrepreneurs (ran businesses).

18. What are the dierent nonpropertied classes Weber identied, and what were the dierences between them?

The non-propertied class included professionals (valued skills and credentials, high salaries), skilled workers (extensive training), semi-skilled workers (some training), and unskilled workers (little training).

19. What is the role of educational credentials according to Weber?

Educational credentials serve as a means of legitimizing authority and social status- a tool for social closure (restricting access to high-status positions) which reinforces social stratication because they were a means to social mobility and a mechanism of exclusion

20. What are life chances, and how do they relate to class?

Life chances are your chances of sharing in valued goods, such as healthcare, nutrition, etc., and where you fall in the classes shapes your life chances.

21. What is status? How is it a form of power? (Remember, Weber said class, status, and party were all forms of power.)

Status is a specic, positive or negative, social estimation of honor. Members of the same status group have a unique social esteem and status monopolies in common. They are created by lifestyle or occupation, through hereditary charisma, or the monopolistic appropriation of political power.

22. What did Marx say was the source of human loss of agency/suering/alienation? What did he think about the potential (and source) of escape?

Capitalism and exclusion from the means of production cause alienation, and revolution could change this.

23. What did Weber say was the source of human loss of agency?

Rationalization

24. What is rationality? Who/what is in charge in a rationalized system (what takes the place of human decision-making)?

Rationality focuses on efficiency, predictability, calculations, and a methodical approach to doing things; therefore, rules and nonhuman technologies replace human decision-making.

25. What is the potential for escape?

No escape

26. What are examples of how rationality looks in the following settings, and what are the eects: Fast food, farming?

Fast food- assembly lines, nonhuman technologies permitting maximum control over workers, and even replacing workers

27. Is rationality limited to work/production according to Weber? Explain.

No, it expands to more and more spheres of life until society is a seamless web of rationalized structures. Such as education, sports, and personal schedules

28. How does bureaucracy relate to rationality?

Bureaucracies are structures of rationalization brought to practice

29. What are the characteristics of bureaucracy?

1. Hierarchy of oces (not people) 2. written rules for how you get into a position, how you get removed, and the tasks of people in the position, and how they do these tasks 3. Emphasis is on controlling people by replacing human judgment with the dictates of rules 4. The rationale for all of this is efficiency 5. Impersonality- everyone is subject to the rules

30. What are examples of rationality taken to an extreme addressed in class?

Holocaust, Poultry farming, Poultry production

31. What is the “iron cage”? (What's it made of?)

The “iron cage” is made of bureaucracies that trap people in them, and their basic humanity is denied (dehumanization)

32. What is domination?

The odds that people will follow your commands

33. What is authority?

The perceived legitimacy of domination

34. What is charismatic authority? How does it work? Give an example.

Charismatic authority is tied to personality. It is based on an individual person with charisma (divine grace). It typically involves radical social change, good or bad, and devoted followers. Examples would be Martin Luther King Jr., Hitler, and Napoleon

35. Why is charismatic authority unstable over time? What does this have to do with assassinations? What can be the eect of charismatic authority in other types of authority systems? (Hint: Martin Luther King, Jr. is an excellent example of this).

Charismatic authority is unstable over time because it’s tied to a person. They can die, falter in their performance, or be assassinated, etc. Assassinations are especially common because they are the quickest way to end a radical social movement. Charismatic authority in other authority systems can be very dangerous because these people then have political power in combination with charisma and devoted followers.

36. What is traditional authority? How does it work? Give an example.

The way we’ve done things is seen as inherent and can’t be changed by reason. An example of this is the continued recognition of kings and lords in England, despite the dismantling of feudalism.

37. What is legal-rational authority? What are its elements?

Belief in the legitimacy of rules and the right of those elected in power to issue commands.Elements: a) Written laws/rules determine how you get elected/appointed b) How things are done c) They bind everyone (leaders included) d) Leaders are seen as having a right to act when they gain their positions in a procedurally correct way e) Political parties are how groups struggle for power f) The state has a monopoly on coercion

38. In a legal-rational authority system, leaders are seen as having a right to act when they gain their positions in what kind of way? Give examples of complaints about political gures along these lines.

Procedurally correct way. For example, Trump accused Biden of stealing/destroying ballots and demanded a recount. The 2020 election being “rigged.” Also, the public demanded that Obama show his birth certicate and proof that he is American.

39. In a legal-rational authority system, what entity has a monopoly on physical coercion?

The state

40. In a legal-rational authority system, how do dierent groups struggle for power, and what specically do they try to change (Hint: the latter reects the “legal” aspect of the rational-legal system)?

Political parties struggle for power through money in politics; they try to change rules, such as taxes, in their favor through funding elections and court appointments

41. What happens to groups that do not participate in politics (either because they have less money to donate to campaigns or don’t vote)

They are ignored or on the menu/table.

42. Why do companies like arbitration instead of courts, and how do they get us to agree to use arbitration instead of courts?

Arbitration allows companies to resolve disputes in private proceedings. The outcome is determined by lawyers that the companies hire, without judges or juries. It also prevents class action lawsuits.

43. What does "party" as a basis of power have to do with legal-rational domination? Parties ght in the political realm. What are they ghting about? Understand how this relates to topics like tax rates, voting laws, environmental laws, unionization laws, and arbitration.

Political Parties are how groups struggle for power. They ght over court appointments, which are very politicized because courts uphold or strike down rules.

44. Why does money play such an important role in political power in our system?

The elite political parties can lobby for laws that benet them because they have the nancial resources to do so and can fund their campaigns. Less money = less inuence.

45. What are capital gains taxes versus taxes on earned income? Which one is higher?

Capital gains taxes are taxes imposed on the sale of non-inventory assets, such as real estate, stocks, and property. These are not considered earned income, which is the income one receives from working. The tax rate on earned income is higher than the tax rate on capital gains.

46. What has happened to tax rates for the upper portions of the incomes of the richest people over time? How would a Weberian say this relates to power in the political system?

Tax rates for the upper-income portions decrease over time. This relates to power in the political system because the wealthiest people can aord to fund campaigns for court appointments that determine the tax rates and laws. Therefore, they can prevent this from changing.

63. Compare how Durkheim and Marx felt about conict and revolution. What two things does Durkheim feel are needed for a healthy society?

Marx viewed conflict and revolution as inevitable consequences of exploitation and capitalism. Durkheim felt that conflict is abnormal and can be eliminated without revolution. Regulation and attachment (solidarity) are necessary for a healthy society.

64. What was Durkheim’s role in the French education system? What were the goals? How can we see similar objectives in the U.S. education system?

Durkheim reformed the French education system by creating a secular system. The goal was to develop skills for individuals to utilize in their work and to share common values, beliefs, and norms that guide them, integrate society, and foster a commitment to social institutions. The U.S. education system socializes students into society by teaching them common values, beliefs, and norms, as well as guiding them towards either college (eventually leading to the workforce) or directly into the workforce after high school graduation.

65. What are social facts? How do they aect us?

Social facts refer to institutions and rules or norms that impose limits on us and compel certain kinds of actions. There is no coercion when conforming to social facts of our own free will, but the denial of conformity means risking ruining yourself.

66. What is the collective conscience? How does it relate to social facts? What happens to people when they deviate from the collective conscience?

The collective conscience is the totality of beliefs, norms, customs, and behaviors common to average citizens of the same society. The collective conscience is the manifestation of social facts. When people deviate from the collective conscience, sanctioning occurs.

67. What are the three key characteristics of social facts? Be sure you know the terms and the meanings

1) External to the individual: we are born into a set of social structures, taught to follow norms, and learned in schools, families, and interactions. 2) Emergent: more than just the combination of psychologies of dierent people– bigger than the sum parts 3) People feel constraint and coercion, but they are internalized – they feel like choice, they live in our heads, we don't need sanctions to adhere to them (people want to be a part of social structures)

68. What are the four variables in the collective conscience?

1) Volume: degree to which norms are shared 2) Intensity: power to guide/constrain thoughts 3) Determinateness: clarity 4) Religious vs. secular content

69. What are the two types of solidarity? For each type, know what holds society together, and what each type looks like with respect to the four variables in the collective conscience?

1) Mechanical: derives from social similarity (where there is not a lot of division of labor– less complex) a) Collective conscience overwhelms individual ideas b) High in all 4 variables c) Religious2) Organic: derives from our dependence on others’ specic abilities, which now fosters interdependence and cooperation among specialized parts. (More complex societies with DOL and integration via interconnectedness/interdependence) a) Still have a CC but low in all 4 variables (there’s individual thought & behavior & more general, secular)

70. What should legal sanctions look like in societies with mechanical solidarity? Why?

Punitive– focused on humiliation, disgrace, exclusion– because crime is seen as an aront to God

71. What should legal sanctions look like in societies with organic solidarity? Why?

Less punitive and more restorative/rehabilitative (community service, education, mental health help, house arrest, parole) because of an emphasis on individuality

72. What do we mean when we say Durkheim wanted to be a physician to society?

He diagnosed threats to integration and cohesion

73. Know how solidarity requires individuals to be both regulated and attached, and what each of those terms mean. What regulates people? What are the two names for a lack of regulation? What is the name for a lack of attachment?

Solidarity (specically about the collective conscience) is what enables integration and cohesion. ○ How do people feel like a part of society (attached) ○ How are their individual desires constrained so they can be a part of a collective (regulated) ● Norms, exchange, and legal contracts are what regulate people ● Anomie and forced division of labor are the two names for a lack of regulation ● Egoism is the lack of attachment

74. How does rapid social change aect regulation and attachment?

Rapid social change decreases regulation and attachment due to normlessness and self-interest over collective interest.

75. What is forced division of labor, and how does it aect solidarity and societal functioning according to Durkheim?

Forced division of labor is exclusion from opportunities, so people can’t get into certain roles. Decreases solidarity and societal functioning because it creates a dominant class that exploits a lower class.

76. Know Durkheim’s perspective on the denial of opportunity and use of privilege to exploit others. Know his position on the inheritance of wealth.

Durkheim saw no problem with earned inequality, but disagreed heavily with inherited wealth. Found it abnormal in organic societies for wealth to be inherited, and he believed that the elimination of inheritance was inevitable because, as people are liberated from mechanical society, they can free themselves from the beliefs that have often been used to legitimate exploitation.

77. Durkheim looks at suicide as a social phenomenon (not psychological). He says it results from too much or too little of what two things?

Regulation and attachment

78. Name, dene, apply, and know examples of each of the four types of suicide.

1. Anomic: Too little regulation; when people feel a sudden upheaval, and suddenly rules don’t apply. a. Examples: people jumping from windows in the 1929 stock market crash 2. Fatalistic: Too much regulation; no meaning or agency a. Examples: Prison suicide, slave suicide 3. Egoistic: Too little attachment; socially isolated a. School shooter, veteran, job loss 4. Altruistic: Too much attachment a. Examples: cult suicide (Jonestown), spiritual human sacrice

79. Know how these conditions can produce deviance more generally. Be able to apply these concepts to examples of deviance, especially in current events.

These conditions encourage