Classical, Modern and Postmodern Thought: A Debate

SUBMITTED TO:

Dr. Uttam Kumar Panda

Assistant Professor, Sociological Thought

HNLU, Raipur

SUBMITTED BY:

Abhijeet Audichya

B.A.LL. B(Hons.)

SEMESTER 2, SECTION-A

Submitted On:

15th April, 2021

HIDAYATULLAH NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

Uparwara Post, Naya Raipur-492002(C.G.)

 Table of Contents

S.NO TOPIC PAGE NO.

1. Introduction 1

2. Review of Literature 2

3. Chapter 1- Classical Sociological Theory 3

4. Chapter 2- Modern Sociological Theory 5

5. Chapter 3- Post-Modern Sociological Theory 6

6. References 8
 Introduction

Sociologists investigate social circumstances, relationships, and patterns in order to formulate a

hypothesis that explains why things behave the way they do.

A sociological theory tries to understand how things function in society. Theories should be used
to develop a testable proposition about society, known as a hypothesis.

The scope of theories varies depending on the scope of the topics they are supposed to explain.
There are basically 2 types of theories- Micro and Macro which have been differentiated on the
basis of degree of interaction between persons or social groups.

Grand theories try to understand large-scale interactions and have answers to basic questions like
why cultures shape and evolve. Sociological theory is still changing and can never be thought of
as final.

Classical sociological theories are still relevant and important, but new sociological theories
build on and expand on the work of their predecessors.

In sociology, a few hypotheses are known as paradigms, and they offer general insights that can
understand many different facets of social life.

Within a discipline, paradigms are conceptual and scientific constructs that are used to articulate
hypotheses, generalizations, and the studies that accompany them.

Since ancient times, the relationship between culture and individuals has intrigued many
sociologists. In their attempt to describe real world, the ancient sociologists also studied theories
of social strife, economics and social stability.

This has led to origination of different thoughts in different scholars which has eventually led to
3 sociological thoughts- Classical, Modern and Post-Modern thoughts.

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 Review of Literature

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism-

It is a study of the relationship between ascetic Protestantism's principles and the emergence of
modern capitalism's spirit, written by Max Weber. According to Weber, an important was played
by groups like Calvinists (A popular religious group for Christianity) in the attempt to create a
spirit of capitalism.

According to Weber, the root cause of the financial problems which we are facing in the present
times can be attributed to religion. He believes that the modern capitalist spirit sees benefit as a
worthy end in and of itself.

Weber emphasizes that his account in the book is not complete as he only showed that
Protestantism was a contributing cause of the capitalistic spirit rather than being its root cause.
He also acknowledges that liberalism influenced the rise of religious ideas.

Postmodern Social Theory-

Offering a chronological analysis of postmodern social theory, this book by George Ritzer also
tries to find the criticism or demerits of postmodernism and recent quests of moving away from
it. It references postmodernists such as Michael Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Jacques Derrida, and
Jean-Francois Lyotard, as well as more recent alternatives, reactions and interventions by
philosophers such as Anthony Giddens and Ulrich Beck.

The works of American feminists Daniel Bell and Frederic Jameson are investigated, as well as
the sociological relationship between feminist and multiculturalist theory. Ritzer examines the
implications of postmodern social science for traditional sociological theory and demonstrates
how it can be applied to the study of contemporary consumer culture.

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 Chapter 1- Classical Sociological Thought

The aim of sociological theory is to get a better understanding of the natural world. One way
through which sociological theory achieves its objective is by understanding the transition from
ancient to post-modern world.

Arguing that the material criteria needed to fuel capitalism are insufficient, and that capitalism
frequently needs theological formulations to help decide the conditions needed to truly transition
from feudalism to capitalism, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber is
a rebuttal to Karl Marx's historical materialism.

In the other hand, Emile Durkheim proposed that the shift from traditional/primitive to
modern/advanced cultures is an evolutionary phenomenon that necessitates both advanced
civilization inclusion and natural shifts in primitive societies.

Karl Marx theory- Karl Marx used historical materialism to interpret society since the
nation state is one of the key indicators separating the distinction between traditional and
contemporary societies.

Marx's historical theory is the polar opposite of Hegel's "idealist view of history," which claims
that humanity's fate is determined by its material circumstances at any given time.

Marx's historical materialism shows that without the required material conditions, social
reproduction is difficult. The forces that give rise to social phenomena may also contribute to
their disappearance.

The historical and political significance of Marx's study of human-land relations cannot be
overstated. Marx explores the position of class conflict within feudalist relations to understand
the origins of the capitalist nation state.

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Max Weber theory- According to Max Weber, the transition from feudalism to democracy
is explained through a multifaceted context. Weber's conception of history, bureaucracy, and
logic informs his view of capitalism.

When labor is turned into a mode of prayer or piety, it becomes a kind of inward fulfilment of
desires. You must work hard to materialize the evidence to show the world your piety in order to
illustrate that you are selected and favored by God.

The instrumental rationalized organization used to gain the interest of the state and absolve
political problems by state offices often digs the controlled into a deeper and deeper inescapable
pit in centralized political activity. To combat bureaucratic injustices, more rationalization is
needed, which necessitates the creation of more bureaucracy.

As a result, Weber painted a dystopian picture for modernity as a rise in bureaucracy, reducing
human liberty and democracy.

Emile Durkheim Theory- To arrive at his interpretation of the transition from conventional
to new societies, Emile Durkheim posed a series of questions. The powers that bind cultures
together fascinated Durkheim.

Durkheim's philosophy of society's evolution was demonstrated by the division of labor.

Durkheim said that humanity progressed from barbaric to technological cultures. Durkheim came
to the conclusion that primitive societies are structured through kinship relationships and have no
social differentiation.

He observed that people need to be tolerant towards differences and individualism can't build
collective harmony or unity on itself.

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 Chapter 2- Modern Sociological Thought

Contemporary Sociological Theories lays the foundations for contemporary social science by
drawing on classical social theory's foundation. The main theories of this school of thought are-

1. Positivism

Developed in the mid-19th century by August Comte, this theory contends that the sole true
knowledge in the world is knowledge through scientific methods and that this knowledge can
only be gained by constructive reinforcement of hypotheses using a strict scientific method.

2. Anomie theory

It is a psychological viewpoint that sees anomie (i.e., a lack of moral direction) as the product of
an environment that does not offer moral guidance to individuals.

Emile Durkheim (1893) was the first to recognize anomie as a result of unfair labor allocation
within a society, discovering that social upheaval resulted in greater anomie, as well as higher
rates of suicide and crime.

3. Conflict theory

This theory portrays the ideas of classical sociologist Karl Marx who saw society as a collection
of individuals and there is selection out of these people who are contending for social, political
and material resources such as education ,housing and food.

Society is viewed as a competition over scarce capital in conflict theory. Democracy, schooling,
and faith are examples of institutional structures whose intrinsic inequity reflects and adds to the
inequity of the social system.

Some people and organizations are better at making and maintaining money than others, and
these "winners" use their wealth and clout to hold social institutions in control.

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 Chapter 3- Post-Modern Sociological Thought

In sociology, postmodernism refers to an analysis of the social and cultural characteristics of late
capitalism (postmodernity), as well as a criticism of sociological theory as a modernist
experiment and a broadening of sociological research into new fields. The major thinkers of this

school of thought are- Roland Barthes, Pierre Bourdieu and Jean Francois Lyotard.

Postmodernity is a social order in which electronic media play a central role, symbolic codes are
pervasive, and social identities are shattered.

It is a well-known sociological movement that began in the 1980s, and its theories can be seen as
a response to the social shifts that resulted from the transition from modernity to postmodernity.

Classic social philosophers were inspired by the belief that culture has a foundation – that it
"goes anywhere" and is revolutionary, according to postmodernists. This theory has now broken,
according to Jean Francois Lyotard, and there are no feasible alternatives – broad interpretations
of history or culture remaining.

Some classical sociologists, such as Jean Francois Lyotard, contend that scientific science is now
conducted not only to discover wisdom in order to transform the future (as the original
Enlightenment thinkers believed), but also to reward those who finance it. This can help to
understand why we have nuclear bombs but no cancer cure.

Democracy has spread across the globe, but citizens remain apathetic and leaders are despised in
many developed government settings. To put it another way, many postmodernists conclude that
modernity's grand vision has reached an unexpected halt.

According to Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007), the post-modern period is characterized by a culture

in which people respond to media images rather than real people or places. There are two schools
of thought on the postmodern culture.

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The argument of the first side is that the era in which we are living is not a modern one but post-
modern era. This shift can be attributed to the advancement of Information technology, Social
media, increased migration of people in leaps and bounds. But this side does not show the
incapability of sociology, as a subject, in comprehending this current situation.

On the other hand, the second side that we have come a long way ahead of the conditions which
the current sociology can comprehend. The postmodern world's de-centered, pluralistic, media-
saturated, globalizing environment has cast a pall over the current landscape of globalization,
industrialization, and nation states.

To summarize, a postmodern sociology is definitely needed for the postmodern world but
nobody knows how to create a postmodern sociology.

“Postmodernists are essentially pessimists and defeatists” Jurgen Habermas contends. Rather
than consigning modernity to history's dustbin, we should be fostering greater democracy,
liberty, and rational policy.

The main analytical approach for interpreting the course of social transition in the twenty-first
century is globalization theory, which has supplanted postmodern studies.

To conclude, it can be said, in my opinion that the theory which is the most satisfying and can be
recognized as the true sociological theory is the classical sociological theory because it laid the
foundation for the modern and the post-modern approaches towards sociology.

Sociologists like Marx Weber and Emile Durkheim postulated their theories so well that these
theories can (after approximately 100 years of their existence) still provide reasoning behind the
modern ways of looking at sociology.

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 References

 The History of Sociology | Introduction to Sociology. Courses.lumenlearning.com.

Retrieved 3 April 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sociology/chapter/the-
history-of-sociology/.

 Summary of Classical Sociological Theory. Decolonize ALL the Things. Retrieved 4

April 2021, from https://decolonizeallthethings.com/2017/01/31/summary-of-classical-
sociological-theory/.

 Postmodernism 101. Postmodernism in a Nutshell. Retrieved 1 April 2021, from

https://postmodernisminanutshell.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/postmodernism-101/.

 Mondal, P. Postmodern Social Theory: Its Meaning and Relationship with Sociological
Theory. Your Article Library. Retrieved 1 April 2021, from
https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/postmodern-social-theory-its-meaning-and-
relationship-with-sociological-theory/39886.