Name : Rana Naurah Athiyyah

SID : F24198019
Class : INT

Summary of Sociology as a Life or Death Issue

In the book “Sociology as a Life or Death Issue” Robert J. Brym explains the
fifth dimension that is the social. There are lots of benefits to see the fifth
dimensions. One of the them is to help people live longer and fuller lives. He also
gives an example of human relations and moral dilemma that are embedded in
Zoom Kobes II basketball shoes. No matter what they say about the shoes, they’re
the part of the society and their actions have consequences for others.
Speaking about social, Brym explains about sociology that is the systematic
study of human action in social context. Sociology speaks to the big issues of the
day, the big issues of life, and it speaks to a broad audience. He insists the reader to
think sociologically to figure out how to live better by understanding the social causes
of death. He studies the social causes of death through analyses of American hip
hop culture, the motivations of Palestinian suicide bombers, and the victims of
hurricanes in the Caribbean region and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Learning
about the fifth dimensions allows people to extend the third and fourth dimension,
helping them deepen and prolog their life.
In chapter 1 of his book “Sociology as a Life or Death Issue” Robert J. Brym
tells his audience about the change in the way he thinks about death. When he was
a little, he thought death was very entertaining because of a game, but as time went
by he began to wonder about death and it became the source of his anxiety. He
argues that people deny death to calm themselves in many forms, such as religion
and staying young.
Religion offers people immortality and determinism, the belief that everything
happens the way it does because it was destined to happen in just the way. People
can’t really choose how they live, they will get the eternal life only if they choose to
do good and that requires submitting to the will of God. That makes many people
worry less about death and believes the reward is eternal life in heaven. Brym also
shows that people try to cheat the death by trying to stay young. Plastic surgery, diet,
exercise, and makeup are the examples of searching for an eternal youth.
Voluntarism, the belief that people can control their destiny make people think they
can make whatever they want for their lives.
Brym claims that the denial of death is a trap. Denying death makes it more
difficult to figure out how to live well and be happy. Rules that must be obeyed in the
religion are the price that must be paid to get eternal life in heaven. Not all people
feel happy towards those rules, some of them feel miserable because of it. The
opportunity to figure out and do what is best for them as individuals, the deterministic
denial of death can make some people deeply unhappy.
So does the voluntaristic of death. People who believe that happiness is
merely an appearance will never be satisfied with themselves. They will feel not
enough without realizing that nothing is perfect in this life. They pay too much
attention to appearance without paying attention to something inside their body.
Pursuing youthfulness distracts them probing deeply and finding out who they really
are and what they need from life to make them happy.
The highlights of chapter 1 is the importance of higher education to figure out
what people need to do to live a happy life. People abhor uncertainty, so they always
strive to make a social reality meaningful. They also eager to make their life
meaningful that they have created an institution, especially devoted to help them
discover what the good life is for each of them. If they treat higher education as a
voyage of self discovery, they will increase their chance finding out what is the value
in their life, what they can achieve, and how they can achieve it.
The sociological approach to improve human welfare is based on the idea that
relations people have with other people can create opportunities. This makes people
not just think and act, but also set limits on their thoughts and actions. Brym shows
Durkheim’s studies about suicide that can be influenced by social relations. This
referred to the lack of sharing beliefs, values, and morals in social solidarity level.
Low solidarity contributes to a lot of issues that cause suicide rather than
intermediate solidarity and high solidarity. Concluded by the idea of three elements
of people type behaviour, social relations, and larger institutional, sociologists help
people to understand what they are and when they can become in particular social
and historical contexts.
In the end, Robert J. Brym has convinced his audience to aware that their life
is short. They should not to be seduced by denying death and seek for higher
education that will give an opportunity for them to live a happy life. He hopes
sociology can enlighten people about their life.