(Ch 2) Origins of Sociology

Origins of sociology

1- Industrial Revolution
2- Social upheaval of revolutions
3- Imperialism

Auguste Comte (positivism)

father of sociology
Believed sociology could unite all sciences and improve society

Herbert Spencer and Social Darwinism

second father of sociology. Believed that societies go through “natural evolution”. Created a principle called “survival of the fittest”. His beliefs come from Charles Darwin
- Believed that sociologists should not direct society

Karl Marx and class conflict

suggested revolution of social classes, where a group of people will reform their society and lead to a classless society without exploitation and class conflict

Emile Durkheim and social integration

goals: to get sociology recognized as a separate academic discipline. To show how social forces affect people’s behaviour
Group behaviour cannot be comprehended only concerning their behaviour; we must always examine that social factors influence people’s lives

Max Weber (Protestant Ethic)

disagreed that economics is the central force in social change. Weber brought the birth of Capitalism. Believed that religion was the key factor in the rise of capitalism
- suggested that sociology should be value free

Positivism

the practice of the systemic method to the study of collective world

Bourgeoisie

capitalists who own the capital, land, factories, and machines

Proletariat

The exploited workers, who do not aims the means of production

Social integration

The degrees to which people are tied to their social group. The amount and quality to which any member of the group/society is connected by mutual values and social attachment

Value free

The view that a sociologists personal values or beliefs should not influence social research

Value

standards by which people define what is desirable or not

Objectivity

value neutrality in research

Replication

the repetition of study in order to test its findings

scientific method

use of objective, systematic observations to test theories

Common sense

things “everyone knows” are true

Pattern of Behaviour

reappearing events in society

Generalisation

an assertion that seeing outside the particularized or personal situation is pertaining to a larger setting

Imperialism

a policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means

Social Upheaval of Revolutions

Society experienced inequality for the first time which led to the emergence of sociology

Sociology was founded by

Auguste Comte