Sociology and the Real world Unit 1

Vocabulary flashcards covering foundational figures, concepts, and paradigms from Unit 1 Sociology notes.

Auguste Comte

Sociologist who developed a theory of the progress of human thinking that came to be known as positivism.

Positivism

A theory claiming that society operates under specific laws that can be discovered objectively using the scientific method.

Harriet Martineau

A journalist and political economist who wrote about social change and translated Comte's work into English, introducing him and sociology to England and America.

Social Darwinism

The application of the theory of evolution and the notion of "survival of the fittest" to the study of society.

Herbert Spencer

The theorist primarily responsible for the establishment of sociology in Britain and America.

Structural Functionalism

A paradigm based on the assumption that society is unified as a whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures.

Emile Durkheim

The central figure in functionalist theory who studied social facts.

Solidarity

The degree of integration or unity within a particular society where individuals feel connected to other members of their group.