Ch 2 - Origins of sociology 

Sociology was founded upon 3 revolutions:

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

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%%Main figures in sociological development%%:

1. Auguste Comte (positivism): father of sociology Believed sociology could unite all sciences and improve society

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2. 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%%

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3. 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

→ Bourgeoisie and proletariat

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4. Emile Durkheim and social integration:

• Goals: to get sociology recognised 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

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4. 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

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Points of view based on each sociologist:

1. Positivism: the practice of the systemic method to the study of collective world
2. Bourgeoisie: capitalists who own the capital, land, factories, and machines
3. Proletariat: the exploited workers, who do not aims the means of production
4. 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

→ Weber suggested that sociology should be value free

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• 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 theoriesCommon sense: things “everyone knows” are true
• Pattern of Behaviour: reappearing events in society
• Generalisation: an assertion that seeing outside the particularised or personal situation is pertaining to a larger setting

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