Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology

San Isidro Campus

College of Management and Business Technology

Social Science
(Famous Sociologists)

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to:
Altamera, Greggy V.
Catacutan
Cruz, Aramy C.
Gabriel, Mirasol C.
Herrera, Jenalyn S.
Pascual, Ana Lee P.
Pascual, Charlaine G.
Talampas, Marilou S.

Submitted
PO1 Gerald

HERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903)

BORN: April 27, 1820

DIED: December 8, 1903
At the age of 13, he received his further education from his uncle. The
education he learned from his father and uncle was scientific so Spencer
decided to pursue his scientific interest
This shifting started Spencers contribution to Sociology. He became
the sub-editor of The Economist in 1848, a financial weekly newspaper. He
advocated the abolishment of Poor Laws. Although one of the most
influential figures in Sociology and Philosophy, Spencer is the first to develop
the theory of evolution before Charles Darwin seven years ago. This
evolutionary stance led to be the Social Darwinism, the theory of biological
evolution onto a social plane like the similarities between organism and
state.
Spencer is also an editor, a philosopher and a sociologist. His first-ever
book Social Statics in 1851 was well received by the public. By the time
when hes writing his first book, he began to suffer from insomnia and a
series of nervous breakdowns throughout the rest of his life. His second
book The Principles of Psychology did not became popular and this led him
to a serious nervous illness that he remain as a psychic cripple throughout
his life.
Even if he was suffering from his illness, he still manage to write a few
more books such as First Principles, Principles of Biology, Principles of
ethics, the Study of Sociology and a few more books.
Due to his detoriating body and mind, Spencer lived the last few years
of his life from complete isolation from human society. He was admired by
many intellectuals, including Charles Darwin and the American Philosopher
William James, but he was frequently accused of being a petty and hypocrite
man because of the way he thinks. He died on December 8, 1903 at the age
of 83 and was buried at High gate cemetery near at the tomb of Georg Elliot
and Karl Marx.

EMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917)

BORN: April 15, 1858

DIED: November 15, 1917
David Emile Durkheim was born in Epinal, France
His primary focus was on philosophy, but he already had the strong
concern with political and social applications that he retained throughout his
life. His attention was focused on psychology, philosophy and ethics and
eventually in sociology. Durkheims views in life could not get him into any
major academic appointment so he taught Philosophy in some provincial
schools from 1882 to 1887. For two years, he studied sociology in Germany
that resulted in the publication of his few articles on social science and
philosophy. These articles gained him recognition in France that earned him
a teaching appointment in University of Bordeaux in 1887.
Durkheim is the pioneer in giving sociology the status of science and
its method of study. To become scientific according to Durkheim, sociology
must study social facts like the aspects of social life that shape our actions
as individuals.
Durkheims first work, The Division of Labor, which was published in
1893, introduced the concept of anomie. Anomie is the breakdown of the
influence of social norms on individuals within a society. His second work,
The Rules of Sociological Method, stated what sociology is according to his
views. Durkheims third work which is a case study that focuses on the
suicidal rates among Protestants and Catholics was entitled Suicide: A Study
in Sociology. He defined suicide as every case of death resulting directly or
indirectly from a positive or negative act performed by the victim himself,
which he knows will produce the result. He stated that suicide is a social fact
and is due to social forces.
Durkheims response was of optimism and enthusiasm. Even though
he was suffering from poor health, he devoted himself in teaching philosophy
in the midst of the war. The devastating part of his life was when his son,
Andrews, died. He collapsed from a stroke and recovered for a short period
of time but his body cannot take it any longer so he died eventually.

ERVING GOFFMAN (1992-1982)

BORN: June 11, 1922

DIED: November 20, 1982
Goffman studied sociology at the University of Toronto and took his
graduate degree in University of Chicago. Goffman pioneered the microsociology which is the study of the face to face encounter. He stated that all
actions are social performances that aim to give off and maintain desired
impressions of the self to others. In 1961, he published a book entitled
Asylum: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and other Inmates
in which he described institutionalization socializes people into the role of
good patient. Another well-known book of Goffman was published in 1974,
was entitled Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experiences.
Frame analysis is the study of the organization of social experiences. He
used the picture frame as an example and illustrates that the frame
represents structure that was used to hold up the individuals context on
what they experienced in life.
He published more books that focus on sociological and philosophical
actions throughout his life. His other major books that were published were:
Behavior in Public Places (1963), Interaction ritual (1967), Forms of Talk
(1981).
But on November 20, 1982 Goffman died due to stomach cancer.

GEORGE HERBERT MEAD (1863-1931)

BORN: February 27, 1863

DIED: April 26, 1931
In 1887, Mead enrolled at Harvard University in which he focused on
philosophy and psychology. In 1888, he left Harvard with only a Bachelor of
Arts degree and eventually moved to Leipzig, Germany to study with
psychologist Wilhelm Wundt. In 1891, he married Helen Kingsbury Castle
and in that time he was able to obtain a post at the University of Michigan.
For the 40 years of his career, Mead wrote and published numerous
articles and book reviews in philosophy and psychology. The two most
famous works of Mead are the philosophy of pragmatism and nature of the
self.
Pragmatists are the ones who believe and study pragmatism. For
pragmatists, true reality doesnt exist in the real world. Second, people
remember and base their knowledge of the world on what has been useful to
them.
Social behaviorism is the concept of how the mind and self-emerge
from the social process of communication. Mead developed more
materialistic process that was based on human action and communicative

action. The essence of Meads social behaviorism is that substance is located

in reality. This approach opposed the traditional view of the mind as separate
from the body.
Meads contribution in sociology is the mind as the individual
importation of the social process. For Mead, existence in community comes
before individual consciousness.
But due to a heart failure, Mead died on April 26, 1931.

DR. GELIA T. CASTILLO

Dr. Gelia came from humble beginnings and she considered education
as a way out of poverty. She devoted herself in teaching students.
Dr. Castillo is a pioneer in rural sociology. His research works focused
on farmers and their adaptation on the new technology, gender issues and
many more. In 1999, he was given the title of National Scientist by the
president. In 2004, he was awarded as an outstanding Filipino, not only for
her pioneering works in research that aimed in improving human
development. In 2007, she received an award for the Most Distinguished
Alumna award from the University of the Philippines Alumni Association. She
was appointed to several board and committees of National and
International research facilities that focus on agriculture, social health and
socio-economic development. Her famous books are: All in a Grain of Rice,
Beyond Manila and How Participatory is Participatory Development?
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a degree of Magna
Cum Laude in the University Of Wogenegen Agricultural University in the
Netherlands and from the Ateneo De Manila University.
As of now, she is currently working as a consultant at the International
Rice Institute (IRRI) and a senior research consultant in a network of Asian
researchers engaged in participatory research.

JANE ADDAMS (1860-1935)

BORN: September 6, 1860

DIED: May 21, 1935
Lauren Jane Addams was the eight among the nine children of a state
senator and businessman. Battling with health problems at an early age, she
still managed to graduate from Rockford Female Seminary in Illinois and
attend a medical school.
One of the major actions of Addams is when she co-founded the Hull
house. The house provided services for the immigrant and poor population
living in the Chicago area. For a few more years, the house expanded and
eventually it covered child area, educational courses, and other social
programs. She was also a prominent social reformer, a pacifist and a peace
activist. After World War I, Addams became the chairman of the Womans
Peace Party. From 1900 onwards, because of Addams there has been an
interest in womans emancipation, new social laws and attention was paid to
social and racial tensions. She was the first woman president of the National
Conference of Charities and Corrections which is now the National
Conference of Social Work. She succeeded in raising concerns about child
labor and child deaths.
Jane Addams began to grow sick after suffering from a heart attack in
1926. Four years after her death, she was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize
Award.

ROBERT MERTON (1910-2003)

BORN: July 4, 1910

DIED: February 23, 2003
Mertons parents were of Jewish immigrants. His family is not that
wealthy but still he pursue to go to a decent high school and eventually
pursue his self-education.
At Temple, a school founded for the poor, Merton was introduced in
sociology. Later on his life, he entered Harvard University and there he met
Talcott Parsons that deepened his idea on sociology. Merton is among the
clearset and most careful prose stylist in Sociology. He edited essays over
and over again so it will be comprehensive enough.
Merton shaped the institution and style of American sociology. He
sought to make the discipline academically respectable but also to make it
better. Merton also introduced a new level of explicit theories in Sociology by
teaching through conceptual frameworks, paradigms and middle range
theories. Mertons influenced on the 2oth century sociology are: His
passionate advocacy for an integration of theory and research, his emphasis
on lucidity in place, analysis and concepts. He also formulated explanatory
paradigms that deeply renewed the wholefields of research. Mertons
influence is important in reinvigorating connections between theory and
research in order to advance sociology in general. He also wrote numerous
articles and essays like Civilization and Culture, The Course of Arabian
Intellectual Development, Science and Military Technique and many more.
Merton died at the age of 92 due to cancer.

TALCOTT PARSONS (1902-1979)

BORN: December 13, 1902

DIED: May 8, 1979
Talcott Parsons was born in Colorado, U.S.A. His father was Edward
Smith Parsons who was a minister and his mother was Mary Augusta
Ingersoll. Parsons family is one of the oldest families in American history
because his ancestors were the first to arrive in England in the first half of
the 17th century.
Parsons took his undergraduate degree in Amherst College in which he
studied Biology, Sociology and Philosophy. The first ever written paper of
Parson is entitled The Theory of Human Behavior in Individual and Social
Aspects. After finishing his studies, he moved to London School of
Economics, University of Heidelberg where he received his Ph. D in sociology
and economics.
At the University of Heidelberg, he encountered the works of Max
Weber. Parsons would read extensively in religious literature and specially on
works focusing on the society and religion. In 1927, Parsons entered Harvard
University as an instructor. During that time, there has been no sociology
department and he was one who pioneered in establishing it.
Parsons also contributed in developing some sociological theories.
First, his theory of sick role the concept that concerns and social aspects of
becoming ill and the privileges and obligations that comes from it. He is also
one of the formulator of the Grand Theory which was an attempt to integrate
the different social sciences into one theoretical framework.
He was one of the most influential structural functionalists in the
1950s.

MAX WEBER (1864-1920)

BORN: April 21, 1864

DIED: June 14, 1920
Karl Emil Maximilian Weber was born in Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia.
Weber is often cited as one of the founding creator of Sociology
together with Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx. Webers main intellectual
concern was to understand the process of rationalization and which he saw
as the result of a new thinking about the world. One of his famous works,
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, he combined economic
society and the sociology of religion. He showed the emerging values of
Protestantism supported the development of modern capitalism.
Max Weber illustrated how social institutions are dependent on each
other. In his major work, he showed that a change occurred in the religious
institution during the sixteenth century. He also introduced the idea that
bureaucracy would be the wave of the future. He also said that sociology
must adopt Vershetan, a kind of subjective understanding of the
phenomenon being studied.
After the First World War, Max Weber was among the founders of the
liberal German Democratic Party. He also ran unsuccessfully for a seat in
parliament and served as advisor to the committee that drafted the ill-fated
democratic Weimar Constitution of 1919. After contracting the Spanish flu,
he died of pneumonia in 1920, aged 56.

KARL HEINRICH MARX (1818-1883)

BORN: May 5, 1818

DIED: March 14, 1883
Max Weber was born into a wealthy middle class family in Trier,
Germany. He studied at the University of the Bonn and the University of
Berlin wherein he started to become interested in philosophy. In 1849, he
was exiled and moved to London together with his family where he
continued writing and formulating theories about social and economic
activity. Marx also campaigned for socialism.
One of his famous theories is known as Marxism. It means that human
societies progress through class struggle. He believed capitalism is to be run
by wealthy classes only. Along with believing in the inevitability of socialism
and communism, he actively fought for the implementation of it, arguing
that social theorists and underprivileged people should carry out organized
revolutionary action to topple capitalism and bring socio-economic change.
Marx is regarded as one of the most profound and original social
thinker. He wrote brilliantly on subjects such as philosophy, political science
and sociology. Marx attempted to explain ideas systematically in terms
oftheir functions and to relate the thought of individuals to their social roles
and class positions. In his further writings, Marx uses his functional analysis
of the relations between the social positions of their proponents.
Marx died of pleurisy in London on March 14, 1883.

AUGUSTE COMTE (1798-1857)

BORN: January 19, 1798

DIED: September 5, 1857
Auguste Comte was the founder of the discipline of sociology and the
doctrine of positivism. He first gave the name Social Physics before it was
named Sociology. It is a mixed terms for Latin and Greek words to describe
new science. The principle developed by Comte in the study of human
thinking presumes gradually evolution and development in human thinking.
He studied in the University of Montpellier and later on he entered the
Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. This school was notable for its adherence to the
French ideals of progress. During 1882, Comte published his first work but
not under his name.
The systematic study of sociology was spearheaded by Auguste
Comte. He tried to create a new science of society which not only explains
the past of mankind but also the prediction of the future. His four
contributions to sociology are: (1) classification and ordering of social
sciences; (2) the nature, method and scope of sociology; (3) the plan for
social reconstruction and (4) positivism. Positivism emphasizes on
observation and classification of data and facts.
Max Weber advocates that the nature of progress of society should not
be studied by the preconceived philosophical outlines. Weber died due to
stomach cancer.

GEORG SIMMEL (1858-1918)

BORN: March 1, 1858

DIED: September 28, 1918
He was one of the foundations for sociological antipositivism
presenting analysis of social individuality and fragmentation. Simmels father
was a Jewish businessman who had become a Roman Catholic while his
mother was of Jewish origin but a Lutheran.
He studied history, folk psychology, the history of art, and philosophy
at the University of Berlin, where he received his doctorate in 1881.
Simmel is known for his Neo-kantian approach to sociology. Another
significant aspect of Simmels work was Modernism it aims to continually
renew and revise concepts. Georg Simmels ultimate project was not to find
the essential nature behind his subjects but to align various disciplines to its
study. For him, culture is the cultivation of individuals through the agency of
external forms. Simmels second approach in considering the process of
group expansion and social development would today be called functionalist.
It derives from the influence of Spencerian evolutionism, which marked
Simmels view on social differentiation as put forth in his first sociological
publication in 1890. There he stated that the development of organisms is
directed by a tendency toward greater efficiency, or as he put it, toward a
relative saving of energy. Simmels third approach is relationism -- derives
from his basic philosophical position that reality is essentially movement,
continuity, process, and that only the human intellect, fashioned to serve as
an instrument for action and not for gaining knowledge for its own sake,
tends to perceive reality in terms of structures and substancessolid, fixed
phenomena that are amenable to classification, ordering, and calculation.
At 1918, he died due to cancer.

HARRIET MARTINEAU (1802-1876)

BORN: June 12, 1802

DIED: June 27, 1876
Harriet was born in a middle class family. She experienced neither the
privilege of aristocracy nor the oppression of the working classes, but had a
consciousness of the meaning of both privilege and deprivation from her
vantage point as a member of her particular family.
They first studied at home and the later on she went on a Unitarian
school. By the late 1820s, Martineau, herself in her twenties, was a serious
but little-known writer, whose boundaries were the Unitarian religion, its
propagation and interpretation. She was, however, a quick and searching
student, if a solitary one, open to new ideas.
She only wrote one book but multitude of essays from a sociological,
holistic and feminine perspective. She also translated various works of
Auguste Comte.
She formulated a comparative method for studying societies and
analyzed the new American culture by measuring it against carefully stated
principles. In addition to giving her individual attention to women and
womens concern.
She authored the first systematic methodological thesis in sociology,
conducted extended international comparative studies of social institutions,
and translated August Comtes Cours de Philosophi into English, thus
structurally facilitating the introduction of sociology and positivism in the
United States. In her youth, she was a professional writer who captured the
popular English mind by wrapping social scientific instruction in a series of
widely read novels.