Sociology 3

SOCIOLOGY-I
Integrated Programme in Management/Law

Maxim Gatskov, Dipl.-Ped., M.A.
Session 4&5
ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY
7-9 September 2022
Sources for follow-up learning
YOUTUBE: Crash Course Sociology ##3,5,6,9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXVn-
wh9eQ&list=PLH2l6uzC4UEX9UzR1bVkK128tLSlzGkt0
#3 Sociology & the scientific method
# 5 Émile Durkheim on Suicide & Society
#6 Karl Marx & Conflict Theory
# Max Weber & Modernity
TEXTBOOK: OpenStax. Introduction to Sociology. 3rd Ed. 2021

https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/3-
introduction
Chapter 1, Section 1.2
1.2. History of Sociology
09.09.2022 Back to the Future 2
Recommended for you
Wikipedia: Comte’s “Law of three stages”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_three_stages
YOUTUBE: Reading is Best

Positivism by Auguste Comte
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBVoBydBLuU
“Law of Three Stages”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aN_03fK_14
Spencer: Evolution of society
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlfRItMBZNo
09.09.2022 Back to the Future 3

Historical context XVIII-XIX
Historical context is the social, political, cultural, economic, and
environmental situations that influence the events or trends we see
happen during that time.
The Industrial Revolution was the transition
to new manufacturing processes in Europe
and the United States, in the period from
about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and
1840.
This transition included going from hand

production methods to machines, new
chemical manufacturing, the increasing use
of steam and water power, and the rise of
the factory system.
09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 4

Historical context XVIII-XIX
The Industrial Revolution also led to an
unprecedented rise in the rate of
population growth.
Traditional ways of living started to

erode more rapidly, economic
inequality became an urgent social
problem.
Capitalist economy was established.
1789 French Revolution overthrew the monarchy & established a

republic
1848-49 German Revolutions – workers struggle for better working

conditions

Auguste Comte [ogyst kɔ̃t (kont)]
French philosopher, 1798-1857
Not only nature, but also society can and should
be subject of scientific study.
Positivism: Just like natural sciences, social
science (→ “social physics”) studies observable
phenomena and does so by a systematic analysis
of empirical data.
The goal is to identify social laws, i.e. causal connections between
observed (social) events: if A then B.
“Positive social science” does not rely on ideology, religion, intuition, or
conventional wisdom.
Society is not an aggregate of individuals, but a complex organism.

“Social physics” (later renamed into “sociology”)
has two branches:
Social statics studies the coexistence, inter-
connection of institutions in a social system, their
structures and their functions.
Social dynamics explores how social systems (societies) change over
time.
In “healthy”, coherent (→ today: integrated) societies, institutions are
working well together and maintain overall stability.
Societies collapse (→ today: disintegrate), when their parts are not
functioning correctly and coherently.

“Law of three stages”
(1) Theological: primitive animism, polytheism,

monotheism
(2) Metaphysical: God is an abstract idea, Nature

(3) Positive: Scientific explanations of the world ensure progress
(positive change)
→ Soon, a new “religion of humanity” will arise out of sociology and
sociologist will become their priests. ☺
Teleological thinking: There is a final goal (“telos”) towards which
(social) systems evolve and (more or less) one path to achieve it.

Herbert Spencer
Charles Darwin
British naturalist
1809-1882
British
philosopher,
polymath
1820-1903
Society is not an aggregate of individuals, but a complex organism.
→ “Survival of the fittest” (“Social Darvinism”).

Herbert Spencer
British Societies function like organisms
philosopher, and, similar to evolution of
polymath biological species, societies also
1820-1903 evolve. Social dynamics results
from structural differentiation
and functional adaptation.
Structural differentiation is a process through which simple societies

develop into more complex ones (like in biology).
Structural differentiation allows social systems to better cope with the

challenges they face in their natural environment and from other
societies. This process of coping is functional adaptation.
Some cultures/societies that don’t keep up, disappear eventually.

Founding “fathers”
Karl Marx
German
social
philosopher
1818-1883

Base and superstructure

Karl Marx
Social dynamics is determined by development
of means of production —from simple to
sophisticated (industry)— and class conflict.
Marx believed that all societies are divided into

“haves” and the “have-nots”.
Capitalism is a class system consisting of

Capitalists — the ruling elite who own the means of producing wealth
(such as factories).
Petite (small) bourgeoisie — small business owners and workers who still
have their own means of production but might end up in the proletariat
because they’re driven out by competition or their businesses fail.
Proletariat — the masses of workers who depend on wages to survive,
have few resources, and make up the working class.

Karl Marx
Social dynamics is determined by development
of means of production —from simple to
sophisticated (industry)— and class conflict.
Class conflict and progressing alienation will lead to

revolution and establishing of a classless society
(communism/socialism).
Alienation — the feeling of separation from one’s group or society.
Workers feel alienated because they don’t own or control either the
means of production or the product.
Capitalists are alienated because they don’t care about what they
actually produce, they just want to become richer and richer.
Marx: Classless society is inevitable → teleological thinking!

Karl Marx
“Religion is is the opium
of the people”.
→ Faith in God
alleviates suffering
→ prevents people from
realizing that the social
order is unjust
Loosing of religious ties leads to social

disintegration.
Émile Durkheim, French sociologist

(First chair in Sociology)
1858-1917
Émile Durkheim
One of Durkheim’s central questions was how people can be autonomous
and individualistic while being integrated in society.
Traditional societies (communities) — people are “interchangeable”,

integration is maintained by religion and force: mechanical solidarity.
Division of labor — an interdependence of different

tasks and occupations in industrialized societies
facilitates cooperation and produces social unity:
organic solidarity.
In his classic study Suicide, Durkheim relied on

extensive data collection to test his theory that
suicide is associated with social integration.
Suicide can be (partly) explained by social

structure.
Max Weber
Max Weber
German sociologist
1864-1920
Weber posited that an
understanding of society
requires a “subjective”
understanding of behavior.
Such understanding, or
verstehen, requires knowing
how people perceive the
world in which they live.
Max Weber
One of Weber’s most lasting and controversial views was the notion that
sociologists must be as objective, or “value free”, as possible in
analyzing society.
A researcher who is value free is one who separates her or his personal
values, opinions, ideology, and beliefs from scientific research.
Capitalism Modern economy can

emerged out of function only in a certain
protestant ethics. institutional (political and
legal framework):
The Religion of bureaucracy rules!
India: The Sociology
of Hinduism and Traditional, charismatic,
Buddhism and rational authority

James S. Coleman on Max Weber
Protestant
religious Capitalism
doctrine
Values Economic
behavior
09.09.2022 Empirical sociological research 19

Founding “fathers”

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SOCIOLOGY-I

Integrated Programme in Management/Law

TEXTBOOK: OpenStax. Introduction to Sociology. 3rd Ed. 2021

Wikipedia: Comte’s “Law of three stages”

YOUTUBE: Reading is Best

09.09.2022 Back to the Future 3

This transition included going from hand

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 4

Traditional ways of living started to

Capitalist economy was established.

1789 French Revolution overthrew the monarchy & established a

1848-49 German Revolutions – workers struggle for better working

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 5

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 6

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 7

(1) Theological: primitive animism, polytheism,

(2) Metaphysical: God is an abstract idea, Nature

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 8

Society is not an aggregate of individuals, but a complex organism.

→ “Survival of the fittest” (“Social Darvinism”).

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 9

Structural differentiation is a process through which simple societies

Structural differentiation allows social systems to better cope with the

Some cultures/societies that don’t keep up, disappear eventually.

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 10

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 11

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 12

Marx believed that all societies are divided into

Capitalism is a class system consisting of

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 13

Class conflict and progressing alienation will lead to

Alienation — the feeling of separation from one’s group or society.

Marx: Classless society is inevitable → teleological thinking!

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 14

Loosing of religious ties leads to social

Émile Durkheim, French sociologist

Traditional societies (communities) — people are “interchangeable”,

Division of labor — an interdependence of different

In his classic study Suicide, Durkheim relied on

Suicide can be (partly) explained by social

Capitalism Modern economy can

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 18

09.09.2022 Empirical sociological research 19

09.09.2022 How did sociology emerge? 20

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